


Make the Last Year Count: A Hogwarts TMI AU

by FandomFics



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, F/M, Hogwarts, M/M, Triwizard Tournament
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-14
Updated: 2017-09-04
Packaged: 2018-02-13 03:51:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 32
Words: 75,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2135976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FandomFics/pseuds/FandomFics
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Alec's last year at Hogwarts, and with the Triwizard Tournament excitement and when a certain Slytherin that Alec had previously fell for starts to notice him, this year is looking to be the most eventful year yet. </p>
<p>This will be alternating points of view, from Alec to Magnus and it changes every chapter.</p>
<p>Mostly Malec, with hints of Sizzy and Clace.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be a full year story, starting from the first day of school and ending with the last day. Expect a lot of chapters.
> 
> Also , I just want to clear up that the Triwzard Tournament did in fact take place once every 5 years not 4. My friend though it was four and I figured it was a common mistake to make so I wanted to clear it up. If you don't believe me, you can check at Harry Potter wiki or just look it up in your book. 
> 
> !!!Also, if you read the first chapter before, I made some small changes to Alec's sorting story (change made on August 15, 2014)!!!
> 
> Also, if you have a fanfiction.net account, I posted this story there too, under the same username.
> 
> Okay, enjoy :)

_Alec POV_

               

                “I can’t believe this is your last year!”

Alec and his sister Izzy were sitting in the back of the rental car, heading to King’s Cross Station. Their parents were sitting in the front, Robert with his hands on the wheel and Maryse’s face turned to look at her children. She and Izzy started talking a million miles a minute about who knows what. Alec and Izzy’s little brother, Max, was sitting between the two. He was still too young to go to Hogwarts, and Alec felt a little sad that he wouldn’t be able to see him sorted.

Because, as his sister exclaimed, it was his last year.  The last six years flew by quicker than he expected, and now he was about to take his second to last ride on the Hogwarts Express, watch his last sorting, and have his last welcome back feast. And to be honest, he was glad the end was near. He barely had any friends at the school besides the kids in Izzy’s year, and he didn’t even like some of them that much. He didn’t play Quidditch, so he wasn’t going to miss that, and he didn’t really feel like he fit in with everyone else, which is probably why he only hanged out with Izzy’s friends in Gryffindor.

That was one thing that marked Alec as different. So far, every member of his family had been placed in Gryffindor, and Max was likely to be sorted there as well, while Alec was the first in generations of the Lightwood family to be placed in Ravenclaw. Alec was shocked when the Sorting Hat shouted it to the Great Hall. It had taken the hat a long time to decide (it was stuck between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw) but, in the end, for some reason, it chose Ravenclaw. The fact that he was in Ravenclaw didn't bother Alec that much, until his third year when he watched his sister get sorted into, you guessed it, Gryffindor (the hat barely touched her head before it made it's decision).

He heard his sister’s voice now, and he left his thoughts in time to hear “-they are having the Triwizard Tournament again this year.”

“What?” Alec said, looking over, confused.

“You didn’t know?” his sister replied, shocked.

“I-I guess must have forgot.”

“How could you forget the _Triwizard Tournament_? Especially now that you are old enough to participate!”

“You’re old enough too, Izzy,” their mother said, smiling. “They increased the safety precautions so that more students could have a chance to participate since it’s only held every five years. The youngest age you have to be to enter is 14.”

“YES!” Izzy shouted.

“Isabelle, I’m trying to drive. Could you please lower your voice,” Robert called from the front.

“Oooooooo-kaaaaaaay,” she whispered back.

Alec, though he couldn’t see it, knew his father was rolling his eyes.

_Great_ , Alec thought, _so much for having a chance to participate_. Not that he thought he would have made it anyway. Alec wasn’t even sure if he would have even entered himself. Now that he stood no chance, not against the likes of Izzy and Jace, even if they were younger, there was no point of entering other than for the sake of doing it. He probably would be pressured into doing it by Jace anyway.  _Oh well_ , he thought to himself, _I’ve got nothing to lose anyway_.

Alec had just finished that thought when they pulled up to the station.

 

*      *      *

“Of course I’m going to enter,” Jace said.

Alec was sitting across from him, leaning against the window on the train. Clary was on his right, and Izzy was next to Alec, with Simon on her other side. Jace had his arm around Clary’s shoulder and Simone was sitting awkwardly next to Izzy, clearly not sure if he should grab her hand or do anything to show that they were in fact dating. Simon was always unsure like that when it came to relationships, quite opposite to the confidence of Jace.

Despite the age difference, Jace was Alec’s best friend, believe it or not. Alec didn’t know how or why, but for some reason, in Jace’s first year, the two quickly bonded and stayed like that. And even though the two were in different houses, they still spent a lot of time together. They would do their homework in the library (Alec would help Jace whenever he needed help), visit each other’s tables in the Great Hall, race each other to the other side of the black lake, have snowball fights in the winter, and walk around Hogsmeade together, buying sweets and toys and getting butterbeer. Alec would even help Jace practice Quidditch when there was no team practice for Gryffindor and the two were free.

At first, Alec had a crush on the young Gryffindor. Alec had already known that he himself was gay, Isabelle being the only other person who knew at the time. He kept hoping that maybe when Jace was older he would feel the same way for him, and until than Jace didn’t need to know how he felt. However, by the Jace’s third year, it was clear that he liked Clary, his fellow Gryffindor with the fiery red hair and a knack for art. Seriously, the girl could make a better drawing with a quill than Alec could with magic.

And he hated it. Well, he did at first, with his jealousy getting the best of him. But after a while, Jace and Clary started dating and Alec was forced to put up with her and get to know her else he would damage his friendship with Jace. So, as he spent more time with her (and her annoying friend, Simon), he realized that Jace really did like her and there was no hope for him. Alec forced himself to get over Jace, and he realized Clary wasn’t half as annoying as he originally thought. He still wouldn’t consider her a good friend, but at least he could handle a conversation with her.

“So, Alec, are you going to enter?” Jace looked over, smirking.

“I’m not really sure. I don’t think I will actually, it’s not really my thing,” Alec replied shrugging.

“Come on, you have to! It’s your last year! Make it memorable,” Izzy said encouragingly.

“What will there be for me to remember if I, I don’t know, _die_?”

“You’ll be fine. Come on, don’t be such a wuss,” Jace said jokingly.

“How’s this; I’ll think about it,” Alec replied.

“Fine, but I _will_ get you to enter,” Jace said, smiling

“Whatever.” Alec felt himself smile back.

Alec let his gaze wander to the corridor, just in time to see a certain Slytherin walk by with a group of friends, laughing. Alec’s heat skipped a beat.

Right there, walking by without even noticing Alec and his little group of friends, was what caused Alec to fully move on from Jace.

_Magnus Bane._


	2. Chapter 2

_Magnus POV_

The Great Hall erupted with a million conversations.

The Headmaster had just announced the rule change in the Triwizard Tournament, which allowed students fourteen and up to enter, a change that Magnus did not know or expect coming. Of course, he knew the tournament would be this year, how could he forget. Especially since he is old enough this year, and compared to most of the students in his year, he thought he had a pretty good chance of being the school champion. He had looked forward to this.

But now, with the rule change, he wasn’t so sure he would be able to make it in. While most kids in _his_ year didn’t stand a chance, the students in the younger years proved to be quite the competition, especially that Herondale kid on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He didn’t know much about the Chaser, other than the fact that he was basically the star of the team, ever since the kid’s third year. Since then, Gryffindor hardly ever lost a match, and it angered Magnus, the Slytherin Keeper, whenever he saw Mr. Goldilocks fly away as the score went up.

“Hey, Magnus, guess I will get to enter,” called Raphael, a 4th year student, who previously was pissed at the fact that the Triwizard Tournament would never be when he was old enough and still in school.

“Shut up, Santiago. It’s not like you are going to be the champion anyway,” replied a fourth year Slytherin from the other end of the table.

“Oh, and you will?”

“Have you seen me? I’m ripped!”

“Keep telling yourself that,” Magnus replied. “You’ve got as much muscle as a piece of paper.”

“Whatever,” the kid said, and he turned back to his friend.

“No, but seriously Magnus, this is going to be the biggest year yet,” Raphael said, the other Slytherin already forgotten.

Magnus looked over at him. “You bet, I just hope that Herondale kid doesn’t become the school champion.”

“Oh God, I forgot about him,” Raphael replied, his face falling. “Now I know I have no chance. Magnus, you better be the champion, or at least some other student. I don’t care who. Anyone would be better, even that Simon kid.”

“Who?”

“Just some fifth year that hangs out in the library a lot.”

“Well, I’d rather have him be the champion than Jace any day.”

Magnus wasn’t sure how, but he considered Raphael to be a really good friend. They spent a lot of time together and they always sat across from each other in the Great Hall. Somehow, the fourth year made it into Magnus’s group of friends. Magnus didn’t even know any of Raphael’s friends that were his age or even if he had any. Still, most of the younger students tended to look up to and listen to Raphael. The rest hated him, probably out of jealousy of the fourth year who somehow hangs out with seventh year students.

“You boys don’t stand a chance,” said Camille.

Camille Belcourt, Magnus’s on-and-off-girlfriend-slash-friend. At the moment, the two weren’t dating but they somehow got along even when they weren’t together. They would even hook each other up with other people. New students always found it weird but they soon realized that it was normal between the two.  

Camille had tried to hook Magnus up with some guy (a Hufflepuff) on the train (it didn’t work out; the guy had one passion and one passion only, gardening, and he would not shut up about it). Everyone at school was aware of Magnus’s sexual orientation, and somehow everyone was okay with it, yet there were still some kids who didn’t agree with a wizard or witch being in a relationship with a muggle. Nonetheless, more kids were feeling more comfortable with their sexual orientations (which was great for Magnus) since they learned that a previous headmaster had been gay. It made everyone at the school feel more welcome.

Camille and Raphael were currently arguing about who had a better chance of being the school champion. Camille was in the middle of saying “-scored higher in my OWLS than him-” when the Headmaster tapped his glass and the tables cleared.

“Now that we all have our bellies filled, I believe it’s time we head off to bed,” he said, his voice echoing through the room. “Prefects, please escort the first years to their beds, and the rest of you can follow after. Goodnight to you all, and get a nice, long sleep because tomorrow classes begin. Come on, off you go.”

As the students filled out, Magnus fell into step between Camille and Raphael, who had continued their argument. “You guys, it doesn’t matter who you think will make it through. The goblet will choose, so it’s up to it to decide who is the worthiest.” Magnus paused for a moment. “Besides, we all know it will be my name that gets shot out from the flames, so all your bickering is pointless.”

“Oh, shut up, Bane,” Camille said, shoving Magnus, who stumbled into Raphael. Raphael simply glared and pushed Magnus into Camille. Camille pushed Magnus again, and Magnus shoved both of them aside.

The three kept pushing and shoving each other and by the time they got to the dungeons they were all laughing. They bid each other goodnights and headed to their rooms. Magnus found his trunk on top of his bed, just like every year before. Right then, it really sunk in that this was his _last_ year at Hogwarts. He just had his last welcome back feast and he was about to have his last first day of classes tomorrow. He felt a little sad that this year would be filled with a lot of lasts; his last Halloween feast, his last Christmas in the castle, his last day of classes, and his last ride on the Hogwarts express. He wouldn’t even get to have another Quidditch match this year, what with the Triwizard Tournament and the other schools arriving. The last few years had been the best years of his life, especially since the years before had been a nightmare. He had been left at an orphanage by his father after his mother committed suicide when he was just a boy. He felt abandoned and he missed his mother. When he came to Hogwarts, he finally felt like he belonged. He made friends and everyone seemed to like him. He would miss the school, his friends here and all the memories they made together.

As Magnus lay in bed that night, trying to fall asleep, he promised that he would make this year worth remembering. He would make it better than every other year; he’d make it special. And, with that promise in mind, he eventually fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took a little longer to be posted. I wanted to make this one longer and I had to spend some time coming up with names for the Durmstrange and Beauxbaton champions and how they would look. But, I finished, and here is chapter 3.
> 
> Enjoy :)

_Alec POV_

 

The corridors were crowded with students.

Alec was rushing to his second class that day. He had been held back talking with the potions master about the most recent assignment. He was going to be late for Defense Against the Dark Arts if he didn’t hurry.

It was early October, and the school was buzzing with excitement. The other schools were going to arrive at the end of the month and that was all anyone could talk about. You could hear snippets of gossip as you made your way through the corridor. Everyone seemed to have their own tale of where the schools are (“I hear they go to school in a pyramid in Egypt; the accents are just meant to throw us off”), how they are going to arrive (“No, seriously, I heard from an uncle of a friend of a friend that all of the students get their own pet dragon and they will be riding them here”), and which school they predict will win (“Definitely Hogwarts” “Sorry, but no. As sad as I am to say this, it will be Durmstrang; they won last time”). Some were even talking guesses at what the tasks would be (“Maybe they’ll have to fight a giant; the one who knocks the giant out the quickest gets the most points”). But, by far, the biggest topic was, of course, “who will be the Hogwarts champion?”

But Alec paid no mind to any of it. He had but minutes to get to the other end of the school, and all of the people who were standing around, talking about the Triwizard Tournament, were just obstacles that Alec had to maneuver around. So, he just kept his head down and pushed his way through the crowd, hoping no one would stop him or bother him. He quickened his pace, knowing he was running out of time and-

_Crash_

Paper and books went flying everywhere, and an ink bottle crashed on the floor.

“ _Shit_ ,” Alec whispered. He bent down and started gathering up his stuff.

“Whoa, sorry, let me help you,” replied a familiar voice.

Alec froze. He would recognize that voice anywhere. The voice that was the announcer at Quidditch matches (except the Slytherin matches), giving nicknames to all the players and critiquing their hair and fashion choices, even though they all wore the same thing. The voice that called out to his friends across the corridor and made jokes, with laughter following close behind. The voice from the other side of the classroom in earlier years that made snide remarks, talked back to the teacher, yet still got questions right when asked and was one of the best in the class. The voice of a guy who wore makeup and glitter, and wasn’t at all ashamed of it or of anything else about himself for that matter. The voice that belonged to a tall, lean, and lightly muscled student with cat-like eyes of a yellow-green color, eyes that were looking down... down at…  Alec.

Alec could barely hear anything over the beating of his own heart as he looked at Magnus. “N-No, no I’m good. I-I got it,” Alec mumbled, turning his head back to the floor, sure he had sounded like an idiot. He continued to gather his stuff back together, determined not to look at the Slytherin and get out of that situation as quick as possible.

Magnus helped him gather his stuff anyway. Alec tried to ignore tingly feeling that went through his body every time he brushed his hand with the Slytherin whenever Magnus handed back a textbook or a quill. He was sure his pale skin was deeply flushed by now and he hoped Magnus wouldn’t notice. When he had all of his stuff together, he mumbled a thank you and started to walk away, but he was stopped by Magnus’s hand on his arm. A shock coursed through his body from where Magnus’s hand held his arm, and Alec had to use all of his will power not to gasp in surprise.

Magnus was looking at him intently. “Wait, why haven’t I seen you before? What’s your name?” Magnus asked, a faint smile tugging at his lip-glossed mouth.

“Um, it’s A-Alexander. Alexander Lightwood,” Alec said, pulling away from Magnus. He started heading towards his next class. “B-but everyone calls me Alec.” He put his head down and hurried away from Magnus without looking back. 

Alec couldn’t believe what just happened. He made a complete fool of himself the first time Magnus really noticed him. After years, that’s how he introduced himself. “ _Idiot_ ,” Alec whispered to himself as he made his way through the corridors. “Perfect, now he will forever remember me as the stuttering klutz.” And with that cheerful thought in mind, he arrived to his class, just in time. He took his seat and tried to erase the event from his brain and pay attention to the professor, but to no avail. The memory of Magnus’s hands brushing his, of his hand on Alec’s arm, forcing him to stay for a split-second longer brought butterflies to his stomach.

And, despite everything else that happened, Alec couldn’t help but smile.

 

*     *     *

“Can you see them yet?”

“No. How about you?”

“Nope.”

It was October 30th and the entire school was waiting outside for the other schools to arrive.  Everyone was either searching the sky or they were staring at the Black Lake (then again, a few were taking turns staring at random places convinced that they would be riding giants or trolls or lions). Alec and the other older students knew exactly how they would arrive, having already seen the underwater ship and the large carriage flown by horses in their second or first year. For some reason, they decided to host the Triwizard Tournament at Hogwarts for two years in a row (then again, there were rumors of Giant attacks on the Durmstrang Institute and that the Beauxbaton Institute was in being renovated…again, though nothing was confirmed). Most of the younger kids had heard the stories but some still didn’t know what to expect.

“Hey, Alec, you see anything yet,” Jace called.

“Nope. They’re late, just like last time,” Alec called back over the wind.

“Well, they better hurry up. I’m freezing my butt off!”

“It is really cold out here,” Clary put in.

“Why do we have to wait out here anyway? Why can’t we just stay inside,” Simon asked.

“Come on, you don’t want to see a carriage flown by Abraxan horses ,” Izzy said, “or a ship pop up out of the water?”

“I’ve seen a ship come up out of the water! It has been done by muggles. It’s called a _submarine_ ,” Simone replied.

“Okay, fine, but it’s not the same. And still, have you ever seen a _flying horse_?”

“Well I can see them from the warm and comfort of the Gryffindor Common Room.”

“You’re impossible,” she sighed, leaning her head on Simon’s shoulder. She shivered, giving away the fact that she too was in fact cold. Simon wrapped his arms around her to warm her up, and Alec looked up at the sky, just in time to witness a scene he had witnessed only once before.

He seemed to remember the carriage being a lot better, like the size of a mansion.  Now, however, it looked about the size of a middle-class suburban home. At least the horses didn’t fail to impress. Their long wings were beating up and down in sync.

His fifth year friends didn’t seem to care; they were all gaping with awe. Clary had that dazed look in her eyes that she always got when she was imagining how the scene in front of her would look on parchment. She was probably mentally checking if she had all the right colors or if she would just have to make it in black and white (which Alec doubted she would settle for; she would probably write to her mother to send another supply of colored ink). Simon was shocked, staring in disbelief at the sky. Clearly he had not expected anything close to what his eyes currently beheld. Izzy looked equally shocked, even though she grew up with magic (unlike her muggle-born boyfriend) and had asked Alec to describe the scene over and over throughout the years (which Clary and Jace, who were purebloods like the lightwoods, had not).

Jace had stopped gazing at the sky to look at his girlfriend. Alec knew how much he loved the look she got when Clary got lost in her artistic mind (believe me; he had to endure months of Jace’s endless babbling about her before the two started dating). Of course, Alec didn’t mind it anymore. Anything that made his friend happy made him happy.

And at that moment, the thing that was making _all_ of his friends happy was landing on the ground in front of them. There was a collective intake of breath when the horses landed with the carriage right behind them. Everyone watched in silence with mouths open as the door to the Beauxbatons Carriage slowly creaked open.

Having seen this all before, Alec wasn’t sure he would be able handle the next round surprised gasps that were sure to come when the Durmstrang students arrived.

 

*      *     *

 

The Headmaster’s voice boomed through the hall.

“I would like to welcome our guests, who will be staying with us for the rest of the year. I hope you will treat them the same as you treat any student here at Hogwarts.” He smiled at the Durmstrang students, who chose to sit at the Gryffindor table this year, and the Beauxbaton students, who were sitting at the Slytherin table, after one guy (clearly the star of the school; everyone followed him) saw the likes of Camille and Magnus. The three started talking and laughing right away, and they even got along with Raphael. However, with the greater number of students this year, some chose to sit at Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, and at those tables all three schools socialized.

Alec himself was sitting with the Gryffindors, which he now realized wasn’t the best decision as he was currently squished between Jace and a 15 year old Durmstrang student. He had sneaked over from the Ravenclaw table because he was so sure that the Beauxbaton students would have sat there. It’s where they usually sat (or where they sat last time, but he heard that they tended to sit there from one of the ghosts), and Alec had planned to avoid being in the situation he was currently in. But, of course, he had forgotten that Gryffindor was a popular choice for the Durmstrang Institute (that and Slytherin of course, but Beauxbaton had taken residence there since they arrived first).

Now Alec was sure he would be as thin as spaghetti when he finally got to stand up. If the schools had come only a few years ago, the fact of being squished up against Jace would have thrilled Alec, but now it just came as an annoyance.  Alec only hoped the headmaster would hurry up his speech so that he could finally stand up and stretch his legs. Then he could enter his name (which Jace had finally convinced him to do) and go to sleep. He knew his sister and friends couldn’t wait to get up either, and he could see Izzy’s need in her eye’s to get away from the guy who was currently trying to flirt wi- wait, never mind. She elbowed him in the gut.

_Classic Isabelle_ , Alec thought, shaking his head. He had just been thinking of kicking the guy in the shin when she made her move, which was good because Alec probably would have missed (given that there were literally 20 sets of legs in Alec’s range) and end up kicking her instead.

“Now, the Triwizard Tournament is held every 5 years,” said the headmaster, bringing back everyone’s attention, “and it consists of three dangerous tasks that will test you to your limits. Three of you will be put up to the challenge, but only one will win the grand prize of 1000 galleons. But, the question we are all asking is, ‘which among you will be up to the task?’ So…”

The headmaster went through the same speech he told at the last Triwizard Tournament. He explained the rules, the rule _change_ , and how it would work. All the while, Alec tried his best to pay attention, but having already heard most of it, some small part of his brain started to wander. And there it was, in the way back of his mind, trying to resurface itself; his encounter with Magnus.

_No, no, no, not you_ , Alec thought, attempting to erase the memory for the umpteenth time, still to no avail. He settled for pushing it to the back of his mind, where it remained a constant nagging reminder throughout the whole speech.

Before Alec knew it, the speech was over and Jace as tugging at Alec’s robe. “Come on, get up. We have to put our names in the Goblet of Fire.”

Alec allowed himself to be pulled up by Jace. He followed him to the end of the hall, where they met up with Simon, Izzy, and Clary.

“Finally,” Clary began as they made their way to the Goblet. “I felt like I was being squashed like a bug back there.”

“At least you didn’t have some guy trying to flirt with you,” replied Izzy.

“ _What_!” Simon, who clearly didn’t notice despite the fact that he was sitting next to her during the speech, exclaimed. “Which one was it?”

“It doesn’t matter,” she replied. “I elbowed him in the gut.”

“Nice, Izzy!” Jace called.

“Okay, can we just get this over with,” asked Alec.

“Yea, yea, fine,” Jace answered.

They had reached the Goblet by then. Some students were already placing their names. The rest were heading to their rooms, probably planning to enter in the morning when there were less people around it. The students from the other schools were following their headmasters out of the castle, the Durmstrang students to their ship, and the Beauxbaton students to their carriage. Some were taking looks at the Hogwarts students, scanning them up and down. They were probably sizing up their competition. Others offered smiles or waves as they walked by.

Jace was first of their group to place his name, to which some students cheered. Izzy was right after him, and Simon and Clary followed right after her, choosing to place their names at the same time. Alec clutched the paper with his name on it, which he had quickly scribbled on, along with his school, earlier that day. It was his turn. He stepped over the age line and dropped his name in. A weight lifted off his shoulders as he watched his paper get swallowed up by the flames. He smiled. It was done. No turning back. No changing the past.

And, maybe, for once, Alec didn’t want to change it.

 

*       *       *

 

“Now, now, settle down. I know you are all eager to know who the champions are,” said the Headmaster.

The Great Hall was buzzing with excitement; most people barely touched any of the food from the Halloween Feast. Everyone kept looking at the Headmaster during the feast to see if he was done with his food yet.

Alec was sitting at the Gryffindor table again. Alec could see Magnus sitting between Raphael and Camille. The Beauxbaton guy had his arm around Camille and the two were just brought out of their conversation by the Headmaster’s voice. Magnus’s eyes were scanning the hall, and he was currently working his eyes up the Gryffindor table. Alec quickly put his head down, hoping Magnus’s gaze would pass over him and the Slytherin wouldn’t notice him. At least it wasn’t Magnus the Beauxbaton guy had his arm around. Alec wasn’t sure he’d be able to handle that.

The Headmaster continued, “It is time for the Goblet to make its decision, and-,” the flames in the Goblet of Fire had turned red. A piece of paper was shot out, which the Headmaster caught.

He read the note and announced, “The champion from Beauxbaton is… Jean André Courtade!”

Everyone at the Slytherin table stood up and turned to face the guy who had his arm around Camille. He turned shouted over the applause, “I prefer just Jean André!” His English was pretty good, surprisingly. He smiled at Camille and headed over to the Headmaster and shook his hand. He had a head of dark, curly hair and green eyes. He was average height and lean, but clearly strong. He was pretty attractive too, which, even if Alec wasn’t gay he would have thought so. At least the constant giggles from a group of girls down the table would have been enough to know that.  Jean André made his way to the back room.

The Goblet turned red again, and a second piece of paper shot out.

“And the champion from the Durmstrang Institute is… Viria Karsten!”

A girl with red hair and blue eyes stood up. She was actually very pretty, even Alec could see that. With her curvy but lean figure, much like Izzy, she looked like the type of girl that could be on the cover of some muggle fashion magazine that the muggle-borns would get sent to them by their parents, who received the monthly subscriptions for them. She too went up to shake the Headmaster’s hand, before following Jean André to the back room.

Only the Hogwarts champion remained. All the students held their breath, each one hoping that they or their friend or sibling is the champion. Alec too couldn’t help but hope that he was the champion, despite the fuss he made about even entering. He knew he would be up to the challenge. Even though he wasn’t in Gryffindor, the Hat _had_ seriously considered it. After seven years, Alec still didn’t know why the Hat chose Ravenclaw instead.

As the flames turned red for the last time, everyone leaned forward. Time seemed to slow down as the final piece of paper was shot in the air, as the Headmaster caught it and looked it over.

“And, the Hogwart’s champion, the final champion for this Triwizard Tournament, is…,” he said, pausing for dramatic effect, but it only made everyone impatient. You could see that some of the students wanted to yell out “Well, who is it?” but no one did.

“The champion for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is…,” and the headmaster looked around before his eyes landed on the Gryffindor table.

 

“Jace Herondale!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, I decided to make the champion from Beauxbaton a male and to make the champion from Durmstrang a girl because the movie made it seem like Beauxbaton was an all-girls school and that Durmstrang was an all-boys school when that is not in fact true. There is a female from Durmstrang and a male from Beauxbaton in the books, and I decided to emphasize the fact that those schools are not single-sex schools.


	4. Chapter 4

_Magnus POV_

The Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff tables all stood up and started cheering. The Slytherin table stood up but there were many groans and barely any of them clapped.

Magnus just shook his head. _Of course the Herondale kid would be the champion_ , Magnus thought, _literally everyone knew it would be him_. How could they not? He was Jace, the star of the Quidditch team and the winner of the Quidditch Cup. Jace, good looking (though not Magnus’s type) and funny, with his quick, sarcastic and witty come-backs. Jace, top of his Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Jace, boyfriend of the most talented artist in the school.  Jace, who hung out with one of the most gorgeous girls at Hogwarts, who also had a very good sense for fashion and was also a chaser on the Quidditch team.  Jace, who everyone either loved and aspired to be or wanted to punch in the face, but didn’t because they knew he’d beat them in a fight. Jace, whose best friend went unnoticed, preferring to stand to the side of the spotlight, rather than in it. A friend who went by the name of Alec Lightwood.

_Alec Lightwood..._

_Alexander Lightwood…_

_Alexander_ …

_Alec_ , Magnus thought, repeating his name over and over in his mind in every way possible, testing how each sounded.

Magnus had not been able to get the boy out of his mind since their collision in the corridor. He had been heading to the Black Lake with his friends since none of them had a class at that time, not paying attention to where he was walking since after 6 years he knew the way like he knew the back of his hand, when the Ravenclaw suddenly crashed into him (muttering a curse as the books fell to the floor). “Whoa, sorry, let me help you,” Magnus had told the boy, as he knelt down. But that was when the boy looked up for the first time, and Magnus was caught off guard by the boy’s beauty. He had long, jet-black hair that stood out against his pale skin, skin that cover a tall, lean, and muscular body. But what really stood out were the boy’s stunning blue eyes (which his Ravenclaw tie only helped in bringing them out). Magnus made a small gasp when he met Alec’s eyes, which he hoped he didn’t hear, but the boy quickly looked back down to pick up his books, not showing any notion that he heard him.

Magnus had really wanted to talk to him, but the boy was not paying attention to anything but his task so Magnus settled on talking to him when they finished gathering his stuff. But he made a point of trying to brush his fingers with the boy when handed Alec one of his books, just to see how he responded. Magnus smiled to himself when he saw the boy’s skin flush lightly.

But when the two finished and stood up, Alec muttered thanks and quickly started to hurry away. Instinct caused Magnus to reach out and grab the Ravenclaw’s arm, and he was glad he did for Alec’s skin only flushed more deeply, and Magnus found it strangely endearing. Magnus had felt himself start to smile as he said, “Wait, why haven’t I seen you before? What’s your name?” The poor (and gorgeous) boy had stuttered as he replied with, “Um, it’s A-Alexander. Alexander Lightwood.” Magnus’s grip had loosed for a second and the Ravenclaw took advantage of it and started to pull away and walk off. But he wasn’t quite gone before he said, “B-but everyone calls me Alec.” And with that he had hurried away, leaving Magnus to take in what just happened. His friends had called Magnus’s name to get his attention. He had been a little surprised when he heard them. He had forgotten about them for the entirety of the scene. They started to ask him questions about what had gotten over him and they started to bug him about the boy, but Magnus paid no mind to anything they said. He just had one thought in his head: _Alexander Lightwood_.

How had he not noticed him before? They must have had class together at sometime throughout the years. The first few years, everyone took the same classes and Magnus knew the Slytherin kids had a class with the Ravenclaws at least a few times. So _why_ did Magnus feel like this was the first time he had ever met the boy? Surely he had heard his name, had _seen_ him, during the sorting in their first year. Now that he thought about it, he did have a faint memory of those blue eyes, of that black hair in the back of the classroom, but back then there wasn’t anything particularly notable, besides his blue eyes, which he always hid under his hair. If there was one thing that was true, the years did a good job on the boy.

During the few weeks between then and now, Magnus spent his spare time searching for the boy, determined to talk to him again. But the boy was nowhere to be found. He checked the library, searched the Great Hall while he ate, got out of class as quick as possible to try and catch him in the hallway, and even walked by the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room one time when he got desperate. But it was all to no avail. Magnus had asked around to learn more about him, which is how he learned that he was best friends with Jace and the older brother of Isabelle. It was amazing how Magnus could have learned about the younger students and knew their names well, but he didn’t even know about someone who was in his year.

Whether or not Alec was gay, Magnus had little doubt about it. With the boy’s muttering and tendency to flush deep red whenever Magnus had brushed his fingers or when he laid a hand on him was clue enough. The only thing Magnus wasn’t sure about was whether the Ravenclaw was out or not. As far as Magnus knew, he hadn’t dated anyone before, nor had he voiced his feelings to anyone Magnus had asked. Magnus would have to find out later, when he finally got a chance to talk to Alec, who he suspected was avoiding him.

He searched the Gryffindor table for him as he did earlier once again, all still standing up and applauding, as Jace made his way to the headmaster. He looked for Clary, who he only knew about because she spent so much time with Jace, and would be easier to spot because of her red hair. He spotted her around the center of the table, beaming as she watched Jace walk to the back room. She was standing next to a now empty spot and on the other side of that empty spot was Alec, smiling for his friend.

“Found you,” whispered Magnus to himself, thinking about how Alec’s smile lit up his whole face.

“What?” Camille asked.

“Nothing,” Magnus replied, still looking at Alec.

Camille followed his gaze, “Oh, so he’s the one you’ve been looking for. I admit, he is something to look at, but with the way you’ve been acting, I expected model level looks.” When Magnus didn’t say anything, she continued. “Seriously, what has gotten into you? You barely even know him. I have never seen you like this. Did he put some spell on you?”

“No,” Magnus replied simply.

“Well, the, I don’t see…” Camille started, but was interrupted when the headmaster started to speak again. The students started to settle sown and the Gryffindors finally took their seats again.

As the headmaster began to speak again, Magnus saw Alec turn his head towards the Slytherin table. Magnus gave him a smile and winked, causing his skin to flush and he quickly looked back at the headmaster. Magnus smiled to himself, pleased with the boy’s reaction.

And now that Magnus had sight of where Alec was, he wasn’t going to let him get away so easy. He would make his way to Alec right when the Headmaster finished speaking.

However, much to Magnus’s disappointment, he had not been able to reach Alec when the speech was over. The boy was like water, constantly slipping through his fingers. But Magnus was determined to find him, and he was going to make sure he succeeded.

 

*        *       *

 

Magnus spent the next couple of weeks searching for Alec. It was proving to grow more difficult to find him as the first task drew near. No knew what it would be but everyone was more than happy to share their predictions. And the increase in population at Hogwarts wasn’t helping either. Even without the other schools, it seemed like the number of Hogwarts students tripled. No matter where you were, you would have groups of people that increased in number as a friend came by to share their new “findings”. The surplus of people just blocked Magnus’s way in the corridors and overfilled the Great Hall.

Magnus started searching for Jace’s blonde head, for Clary’s fiery red hair, and Isabelle’s tall and curvy physique, hoping that Alec would be with them. However, whenever he saw Jace, he was surrounded by people asking about how he was preparing for the first task, and Alec was never nearby in those situations. Whenever he found Clary, she was usually with Jace, surrounded by the same group of people, or hanging with Simon (Raphael had pointed him to Magnus one day), but never with Alec (which was understandable because Magnus heard the two didn’t have the best relationship). And Magnus rarely saw Isabelle except for when she was with Simon or Jace. But in all of these situations, Alec was nowhere near them. Magnus couldn’t even find him in the Great Hall, where it seemed Alec had left the Gryffindor table for a while. He was definitely trying to hide from Magnus, though Magnus had no clue why. But, despite all of his failed attempts, Magnus still searched for him.

It was mid-November when Magnus found him. He was in the library with Jace, Isabelle, Clary, and Simon, and they were all looking for spells that might be useful in the first task. Well, Jace wasn’t really looking for that matter and seemed to be dazing off, and Clary had put down her book and had proceeded to draw little sketches in the corner of her piece of parchment paper. Isabelle had put her book down as well, as did Simon and Alec, the three of which had started on their homework.

Magnus waited a few minutes by some history books when he heard Jace say that he was going back to the common room. Most everyone decided to go with, except Alec who said he wanted to finish one paragraph in his essay first. They all left, bidding him goodnights, and then Alec was left alone. His hair was covering his eyes as he looked down at his essay. Magnus knew this was his chance. He walked up to Alec on his right rather than his back, which would startle him way too much, or in front of him, which would take away the element of surprise. He walked up to the table and said,

“Why, hello there, Alexander. Fancy seeing you here.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, so I'm going back to school on Monday and I won't be able to post as often. I'll try to update at least once every week, but no promises. Thank you to those who stick around. I hope you are enjoying the story so far :)

_Alec POV_

 

“Why, hello there, Alexander. Fancy seeing you here,” said a familiar voice on Alec’s right, shocking him so much that he nearly knocked over his ink.

Alec looked up and there he was, the boy he had been trying to avoid for over a month, standing before him looking as amazing as ever, with green streaks and glitter in his hair, and his lip-glossed mouth pulled up in a grin as he looked down at Alec. Ever since their encounter, Alec had tried his best to avoid the Slytherin, especially after Magnus winked at him from across the Great Hall. Alec was sure his face had turned the same shade as the Gryffindor scarlet. As if his stutter wasn’t bad enough. He avoided Magnus in attempt to avoid making an even bigger fool of himself. He wasn’t even sure why Magnus had winked at him, not to mention why he was even here now, talking to him.

Magnus sat in the chair on Alec’s right, where Izzy had been sitting just moments before. He was still grinning as he asked, “We’re being silent now, are we? Huh. I spend over a month trying to talk to a boy, and when I finally find him, he goes mute.”

“What do you expect me to say when you drop by put of nowhere?” Alec answered, trying not to pay too much mind to the fact that _Magnus_ had been trying to talk to _him_ for over a month.

“And he speaks! And a nice ‘Hello’ would be welcome,” Magnus said, still grinning, causing Alec to give a shy smile.

“You know, you really should smile more,” Magnus added.

Alec was nearly speechless. “W-What do you mean?”

“You should smile more. It lights up your whole face.”

“Well, um, thank you. And, hello Magnus, I guess,” Alec said shyly.

“There’s the welcome I was looking for,” Magnus said. “So, Alec, I’m so terribly sorry for interrupting you during your homework session but-”

“Oh, no, it’s no problem, I was almost done anyways,” Alec cut in anxiously, a little too quickly.

Magnus looked amused at that. “Well, I was wondering if you would maybe like to walk around Hogsmeade with me on the weekend trip after the first task.”

“What… you… well… what… I mean-” Alec started, but he was shortly cut off by Magnus.

“Well, you see, I find that I don’t have many Ravenclaw friends, or many friends from any house other than Slytherin for that matter,” Magnus said. “And being that this is my last year, I am determined to get to know more of the students so that when we leave, I will be remembered by most everyone. So, what do you say?”

“Well, um, I already planned to go holiday shopping in Hogsmeade with my sister and her friends,” Alec replied. He hadn’t really made any plans with his sister but that was what they usually did so he assumed they would again this year. And he was trying to get out of walking around Hogsmeade with Magnus on something that could be seen as a date. _But he isn’t suggesting a date_ , Alec thought to himself. Why would he? No one had ever shown the slightest interest in Alec, and he didn’t blame them. So why was Magnus asking this? Alec didn’t believe his reason, but since he ruled out the possibility of Magnus liking _him_ , it was the reason he wanted to believe. It was all he was left with. Well, except for the small thought in his mind that this could be some sick joke Raphael or someone put him up to. Alec really hoped that wasn’t the case.

“Of course, they could come too,” Magnus replied, though he looked a little disappointed about it. “But, you don’t want to buy their gifts right in front of them. It should be a surprise” he suggested. When Alec didn’t reply, Magnus went on, “but, of course, they could come along. I need to make some Gryffindor friends anyways.”

“Well, um, I don’t know…” Alec started, trying to find an excuse with half of his mind. The other half of his mind was excited about this, telling Alec to say ‘yes’.

Magnus seemed to notice Alec’s inner conflict. “Great, it’s settled then,” Magnus decided.

“What… I-” Alec began halfheartedly.

“I’ll meet you and your Gryffindor friends in the Great Hall at 9.”

“But I…”

“I’ll see you then,” Magnus said. “Darling,” he added with a grin. And with that, he got up and left the library.

Alec was staring at the spot Magnus had been in only moments before. He was lost in what just happened. He wasn’t sure he even believed it was real.

Alec had to wake himself out of his moment of shock. He gathered his stuff and started heading out of the library. _Great_ , he thought to himself, now I’m going to have to explain this all to Izzy and everyone and hope they are okay with it. Alec didn’t know what to do.

But, as Alec made his way to the Ravenclaw Tower, he thought back to how Magnus grinned and he started to think that maybe this wasn’t such a bad thing.

 

*       *      *

 

“He what?” asked Jace through a bite of a scone.

“He asked if we would like to walk around Hogsmeade with him,” Alec replied, leaving out the part that Magnus had only asked if _he_ wanted to walk with him, and only added the others at Alec’s uncertainty. No, he would save that for himself, at least until Izzy managed to get it out of him.

They were all sitting in the Great Hall, at the Ravenclaw table this time (at Alec’s request). It was the morning after Magnus talked to Alec and Alec was trying to get everyone on board with Magnus’s request.

“Wait, why does he want to hang out with us? He’s two years older than us and seems pretty cool, why does he even care?” Clary asked.

“Yeah, he does know I’m in the group, right?” Simon added.

“Let’s all be honest, it’s probably because of me. Being friends with the Hogwarts school champion is great for social status,” Jace said.

“I swear, Jace, the only thing this tournament has done is give you an even bigger head,” Izzy shot. “But why did he ask to hang out with us?” Izzy asked, turning to Alec.

“I don’t know,” Alec started, “something about trying to make friends from other houses.”

“See, I told you this was all about me,” Jace said grinning.

“Oh, just shut it Jace,” said Izzy, shoving a scone in his mouth.

“Thank you,” Jace said after he finished the scone.” I was going eat that anyway.”

Izzy rolled her eyes. “Alec, are sure that’s all he said?” Izzy asked.

“Yes,” he replied, turning back down to his food.

Izzy gave him a suspicious look and Alec knew she would corner him about it the first chance she got.

Clary didn’t look that convinced either, but she didn’t go into the matter. “Well, what do we do? Should we just go with it?”

“I guess. I mean, I barely know anything about the guy but he’s cool and in his seventh year and wants to hang with _us_. I say we go with it,” Simon suggested.

“And he is _extremely_ fashionable,” Izzy put in. “We could trade tips for makeup.”

“If you are all on board, I’m fine with it,” Clary said.

“Well, I don’t want to. He’s always glaring at me during the Quidditch games against Slytherin, and when he is the announcer, he feels the need to call me Goldilocks,” Jace said stubbornly.

“Come on Jace,” Izzy said.

“Um, let me think about it… No,” he replied.

“Jace, please, for me,” Clary said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

“Well, when you put it that way,” Jace said with a small smile. “I guess I’ll go. Besides, if he pisses me off enough, there’s nothing stopping me from jinxing him,” he added with a smirk.

And with everyone on board, the conversation quickly shifted to the Triwizard Tournament. Clary started quizzing Jace on spells he might need to use and Simon and Isabelle traded ideas on what they thought the first task would be.

Alec, however, continued eating in silence. He kept his head down and his back was turned to the Slytherin as to prevent him from looking for Magnus and to keep Magnus from finding him. He still couldn’t get over the fact that Magnus had been searching for him for over a month. Or the fact that Magnus had asked to walk with him in Hogsmeade. Or the fact that everyone had agreed. Now he was going to spend a whole day with him. He starting imagining everything that could happen, everything he would say before he quickly shut the thoughts down. _Don’t get your hopes up_ , he told himself firmly. _He’s probably going spend more time talking to Jace and Izzy, and you’ll be forgotten as usual_.  But he couldn’t get rid of the idea that maybe he _wouldn’t_ be forgotten.

He was still lost in thought when he and everyone else got up to go to class. He was walking out of the Great Hall when someone grabbed his arm and pulled him to the side, away from the crowd of students.

“I know you were hiding something earlier so you better tell me everything that happened between you and Magnus last night in the library,” Izzy demanded.

Alec knew there was no point in hiding it, so he just let it all come out. By the end, Izzy was ecstatic.

“So, wait, let me see if Ii got this right,” she began. “He asked you on a date!”

“It wasn’t a date,” Alec insisted.

“Yea, sure, that’s why he called you ‘darling’ before he left,” Izzy said, smirking.

Alec put his face in his hands to stop her from seeing his flushed face. Needless to say it didn’t work.

“This is so exciting! You’ve got your first date! And with a boy! And with a _hot_ boy, for that matter,” Izzy said.

“Izzy just stop,” Alec began. “Even if it _was_ supposed to be a date, which it _wasn’t_ , it isn’t anymore,” Alec finished glumly.

“That’s because you caused him to invite us along too,” Izzy argued.

“Not helping.”

“Okay, sorry. This isn’t your fault. This won’t be a date. But…” Izzy began with a grin that Alec wasn’t sure he liked.

“But what…?” Alec asked nervously.

“Nothing,” Izzy said. “Let’s just say that this isn’t your only chance at a date.”

“Izzy, I know that, we have a whole year,” Alec replied, shaking his head. “Besides, I don’t even think he likes me.”

“Alec, we just decided that he _does_ like you,” Izzy said with an annoyed tone to her voice. “And, that wasn’t what I was talking about.”

“Then what were you talking about?” Alec asked, curious.

“Oh, nothing…,” she answered. She started to walk away with a smirk. “Only the Yule Ball.” And with that she quickly walked away before Alec could respond. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back (finally) with the next chapter. Sorry it's been a while, I started high school this week so I have been busy. But, this is my longest chapter and with an added character and more... so I hope the wait was worth it and I hope you enjoy :)

Magnus POV

 

As he left the speechless boy in the library, he couldn’t help but smile. He managed to find him and get him to go on a date all within about 10 minutes. Well, true, he told Alec that it wasn’t a date, simply a way to make friends, which he had only said because he didn’t want to scare away the boy. And all of Alec’s friends would be coming along, including Goldilocks, which he wasn’t too happy about. And Alec did not exactly say yes, but he didn’t say no either (not that Magnus gave him the chance too). But still, it was better than nothing, and Magnus was so overjoyed he almost skipped to the Slytherin common room. Almost.

Wait, no, no. He wasn’t that excited. It’s just a (almost) date with a (beautiful) boy (and his friends). He barely even knew him.  He could just end being another casual fling that wouldn’t last longer than a week at most. The boy could very well be extremely dull behind that long, dark hair that fell over delicate pale skin and beautiful blue eyes and- no, stop it Magnus, he told himself firmly. He needed to get the boy out of his mind because this was just getting ridiculous.

Thankfully, he had arrived to the entrance to the Slytherin common room by then and would shortly be distracted by the endless questions his friends would make as to where he had been for the past few hours. Of course, he would make up some excuse. They didn’t need to know that he was searching for Alec all over the school like a lost puppy. God, this is pathetic, Magnus thought to himself. What was so special about him anyways? If there was something, surely Magnus would have noticed him earlier. No, he’s just a pretty face, that’s all it is. Magnus couldn’t wait to get this over with, to finally get the boy out of his mind.

Yet there was still an annoying part of his mind more excited than usual for the Hogsmeade weekend.

 

*      *      *

 

It was a few days after their encounter. In the last few days, Magnus actually listened to what his friends were talking about during lunch rather than searching the Great Hall for Alec (although he did do a quick scan whenever he entered or left the room). He actually spent time with his friends, time that had previously been spent trying to catch Alec in the halls. However, this was all done while he tried to ignore the part of his brain that needed to see the boy.

Magnus did in fact start to make friends with other Ravenclaws. One, by the name of Tessa, Magnus got along pretty well with. If he was being honest, he had originally tried to make friends with Ravenclaws to find out what classes Alec had and when and to stay true to what he told Alec in the library about making friends from other houses. However, after talking to her, the two got to be pretty close. Magnus was glad he made the choice to do this, and not just because he was in fact able to find out what Alec’s schedule was (although that was a strong contributing factor).

Which leads us to where Magnus was at that moment: searching for Alec (again). He wanted to learn more about him, to spend some time with him, without the company of Goldilocks and his fan club. Magnus learned from Tessa that he was currently in Herbology (he was taking as many classes as he could to expand his career options for when he left Hogwarts), and he would be free for the rest of the day as some classes were canceled to help in preparations for the Triwizard Tournament (the first task was happening in less than a week). So Magnus was heading towards the greenhouses and he was going to wait outside of whichever greenhouse Alec was in and wait the last few minutes until class ended (Magnus himself had no classes that entire afternoon).

Magnus was leaning casually by the door when the class was dismissed. Alec was the last one to leave, and the nearest students were already halfway back to the castle.

“Hello there, gorgeous,” Magnus called over to him when he finally walked out.

Alec froze where he was, refusing to turn around (no doubt he was hiding the surprised and shocked blush that was definitely flushing his face).

“M-Magnus?” he asked, stunned.

“The one and only,” Magnus answered, grinning as he slowly approached the boy who still had yet to turn around.

“What are you doing here?” Alec replied, finally turning to look at Magnus with those endearing blue eyes. His face was flushed in the way Magnus found so adorable.

“I was only taking a stroll when by chance I decided to chill for a while by the very same greenhouse you just happened to be in,” Magnus began. “So, Alexander, would you mind joining me in my stroll around the grounds?” Magnus asked casually, dropping him a wink for good measure.

“Well, I-um… I have to get to-,” Alec began, but he was quickly cut off by Magnus, who had expected excuses.

“Come on Alec, you and I both know most of the classes were canceled for this afternoon.”

“Well, um…”

“It’s just a stroll. I promise I won’t bite,” Magnus said, “…unless you want me too,” he added under his breath, hoping Alec didn’t hear (yet a small part of his brain wished he did; It would have made things that much more interesting for him).

He didn’t appear to have heard it, however. “I guess…” Alec said, and his considering tone was answer enough.

“Great,” Magnus said with a grin. “Let’s go, blue eyes,” he added, dragging Alec by the wrist until he started to walk along with him.

They spent the rest of the afternoon walking side-by-side, talking about pretty much everything: school, the Triwizard Tournament, sharing stories, plans after Hogwarts. It wasn’t too long before Alec became more comfortable with the situation. Conversation started to flow easily between the two. Before long, the two were talking and laughing naturally (along with Magnus’s endless flirting, which Alec seemed to become more comfortable with as time went by, though he still blushed adorably every time).

Magnus soon found that there was more to Alec to love than just a pretty face. He learned the Ravenclaw was kind, caring, smart (of course), and even funny, though seemingly without trying or realizing it, so whenever he got a laugh out of Magnus, he seemed surprised. Magnus was surprised at how much he came to like Alec. He had a beautiful and interesting past and personality to match his good looks. Magnus loved listening to him talk about his life, both in and out of Hogwarts. He learned about Alec’s family and he had an increasing respect for Isabelle when he learned of all the times she tried to get Alec to go to a party or wear better clothes.

Although he was questioning why a girl like her, who could have almost any guy she ever laid eyes upon, went for a guy such as Simon. Alec clearly wasn’t sure either so he doubted he’d find out from him. Maybe he could ask Isabelle if they ever get around to trading fashion tips. He even gained a grudging respect for Jace when Alec talked about their times together (not to mention, he really wished he could have been there in Jace’s place during one of their Black Lake swims).

Alec would in turn listen intently to whatever Magnus shared. True, he didn’t share much, but that was  because he wasn’t really good at opening up to people, and he was too intent on listening to Alec speak, so he kept his part short. However, he did share more than he thought he would. But no matter what he had to say, Alec listened. He was a good listener too. He knew when and how to react to everything. And his laugh was one of the most beautiful sounds Magnus had ever heard. He even started to flirt back a little, to Magnus’s surprise. Sometimes, his voice would become slightly husky when he became especially flirtatious, and whenever it did, Magnus found it so irresistibly hot, perfectly matching the rest of him. He really should flirt more. If he did, and if he stopped hiding in the shadow so much and let the world see him, no doubt everyone would be all over him. Wait. Maybe it was better that he didn’t do it often (except, so far, with Magnus). Magnus didn’t want anyone else taking him away when he was almost in his reach.

Magnus had never felt anything remotely close to this, not even with Camille. He had never enjoyed a conversation or a walk as much as this one. Whenever Alec stopped talking, Magnus found himself craving more of that beautiful voice. He even caught himself watching Alec as he talked, shifting his gaze from his eyes, which were looking forward, to his moving lips. Whenever he did, he would have to shake himself out of it before Alec noticed. Speaking of which, Magnus would sometimes catch Alec watching him when he was tell a story. Magnus would turn to look at him, at which Alec would turn red at being caught, and quickly turn his head down. Magnus smiled whenever he did this, he was just so cute, although he didn’t like it when his blue eyes were turned away, hidden from his gaze.

They went on like this for a few hours as the sun went down. They were walking by the Black Lake when they agreed they should probably head back or else they would miss dinner. They walked back into the castle, at which point the two parted ways. Magnus watch Alec longingly as he walked away.

Today had been a success. However, there was one thing for certain. After their afternoon together, it was doubtful he would be able to ever get him out of his mind. All he managed to do was increase his affections for him, even if they didn’t do anything past flirting and brushing hands. There was no hope in getting past this, and Magnus knew it, no matter how hard he tried to deny it.

Magnus shook his head and started to make his way towards the Great Hall. As he thought back to the events of the day, he could help but smile. He would have to try to catch Alec over the weekend. Even if nothing else happened, he just wanted to be near Alec again, to spend more time with him, so walking side-by-side, listening to his angelic voice and laughter and seeing his wondrous blue eyes was enough for him. Maybe he would catch of glimpse of them during dinner today.

And with that thought in mind, he quickened his pace.

 

*    *       *

 

Magnus did indeed see Alec in the Great Hall. That was because he decided to sit at the Ravenclaw table today, without Jace, Clary, Izzy, and Simon. The Gryffindor table was crowded with people, especially around Jace. Obviously Alec wanted to avoid all of the chaos. So, instead, he was sitting across from Tessa, who was lost in a book as she put food in her mouth in absentmindedly. She probably had no idea what she was even eating she was so involved in the story.

When Magnus walked in and saw Alec and Tessa sitting with barely anyone around them, he made a beeline towards the Ravenclaw table. When he got there, he slipped in next to Tessa, across from Alec as to have a better and constant view of him. He would have rather sat next to him, but there was so much space at the table Alec could easily scoot over if Magnus was too close, making the choice to sit next to him pointless. He would have to wait for an opportunity when the table was more crowded.

“Hello to my two favorite Ravenclaws,” he said after he gracefully slid into his seat.

Alec was looking down at his food when he arrived, so he didn’t notice him there until he spoke up, at which point he nearly choked on his food in surprise. Tessa was jerked out of the world of her novel in shock.

“Magnus! What are you doing here?” she exclaimed.

“Having dinner with my little geniuses,” he responded with a smile.

“What do you mean ‘little’? We’re the same age as you, and Alec is almost as tall as you,” Tessa replied, though she still smiled.

“Alexander is still shorter than me, no matter by how much,” Magnus said turning to said boy.

“It’s Alec. I prefer Alec,” Alec said, looking up to Magnus.

“Well I prefer Alexander, Alexander,” Magnus replied, grinning, loving the sound of his name and how easily it rolled off his tongue. He gave him a wink when he said the name a second time, satisfied when the boy’s face flushed despite the endless flirting he had to endure all day.

Tessa looked between the two boys, comprehension dawning on her face, but she didn’t bring it up when she asked, “So, Magnus, why did you suddenly decide to sit with us at the Ravenclaw dinner?”

“Wait, you know Tessa,” Alec asked Magnus suddenly.

“Yep. I starting hanging with her a few days ago,” Magnus replied, not taking his eyes off of Alec.

“Sticking with the whole ‘make friends from other houses’ thing?” Alec asked.

“The what thing?” Tessa questioned.

“Oh, he just came up to me and randomly started talking about how this was his last year and he doesn’t have friends outside of Slytherin, and how he wanted to be remembered by all,” Alec informed her.

“It’s really nothing,” Magnus said absentmindedly, his eyes still fixed on Alec.

“So, wait, is this the reason you suddenly started hanging with me?” Tessa asked, jokingly.

“No,” Magnus replied, at the same time as Alec said, “Yep.”

“It’s really not!” Magnus cried, pulling his eyes away from Alec to look at Tessa.

“It’s why you started to hang out with me,” Alec said.

“No its not- that’s not why- look I-,” Magnus began defensively. However he didn’t know what to

say because he didn’t what Alec to know it had been some lame excuse to get to talk to him.

However, when he looked back at Alec, he saw him smiling and heard him chuckle.

“Oh, I see, pick on the idiot,” Magnus said, though he could feel himself start to smile.

“You’re not an idiot Magnus,” Tessa replied. “Though you can be easier to mess with when you aren’t paying enough attention.”

“Who said I wasn’t paying enough attention?”

Tessa gave him a look that said “you know what I mean” before responding with, “Oh no one…”

The rest of dinner went by basically the same, with Tessa, Magnus and Alec all talking and laughing and with Magnus sometimes spending too much time staring at Alec, at which point Alec or Tessa would bring something up to mess with him. It was better than Manus expected. He had never had dinner at Hogwarts with anyone but Camille, Raphael, and other fellow Slytherins. It was a nice change. The group was never without something to talk about as they all barely knew anything about one another. So they would share stories, ask questions and learn more about one another. Turns out Magnus really was sticking to what he told Alec about making friends. And he was glad he was, especially whenever Alec looked back into Magnus’s eyes or laughed or gave a smile. Tessa kept glancing between the two throughout the conversation, but still didn’t mention anything. The three went on enjoying their conversation as Magnus made a mental note to sit at the Ravenclaw table more often.

When dinner was over, the three all got up out of their seats. Magnus made his way to the dungeons while Alec and Tessa walked up to the Ravenclaw Tower. Magnus wanted to join them, but knew that he couldn’t. As he walked down the stairs, he encountered two searching faces.

“Magnus!” Camille cried, with Raphael close behind her. ‘Where were you during dinner? Some first years swears they saw you at the Ravenclaw table but he must’ve been lying and-,” Camille stopped when she saw the look on his face. “You weren’t at the Ravenclaw table, were you?

“I mean…,” Magnus began, unsure of what to say. He completely forgot about them during dinner had hadn’t prepared any excuses.

“Dude, you weren’t with that Lightwood kid, right?” Raphael asked.

“It wasn’t only him…”

“Magnus!” Camille exclaimed. “What had gotten into you? I have never seen you this way over anyone. Not even me!” There was a hint of jealousy and offense at the end of that, mixed with the shock she tried to convey instead.

“Oh, don’t sound so jealous Camille.” Magnus replied. He didn’t want to get into this at the moment. He had just had a great day with Alec and just wanted to go to sleep and play back every moment.

“Jealous? Me? Of him? I’m sorry, but are you dating the Beauxbaton school champion?” Camille shot back. “Yeah, didn’t think so. In fact, I think you are jealous of me, so you find some boy who is way below your level and you put on this act to try and get my attention and piss me off.

“You think I actually care who the hell you date?” Magnus asked, shocked at her sudden change in attitude. It was like something snapped inside of her. “I’m sorry Camille, but I, unlike you, don’t obsess over the relationship statuses of my exes.” Magnus was getting mad now. “And you were the one who tried to hook me up with someone for the past months! Well, there you go, you now no longer have to do the damned job.”

Raphael had begun to walk away at this point, doing his best to avoid any drama. He headed off to a group of fourth years ahead of him and they all quickly moved away from Magnus and Camille. Some friend you are, thought Magnus

Camille looked pissed at Magnus’s response. But instead of answering, she stormed off down the corridor in the opposite direction. But before she reached the end, she yelled so everyone in the corridors could hear, “At least I’m not chasing after some shy, boring, ugly, closeted virgin!”

Magnus had a look of pure anger as each word dripped off her mouth. She had a satisfied smirk plastered on an otherwise angry face, and she turned around and walked off. The corridors were suddenly filled with whispers about what just happened, all trying to figure out whom it was that Magnus liked (not that they would find out; she had said the guy was ugly, and Alexander definitely did not fall into that category, at least not to Magnus)and why this all even happened. Magnus and Camille used to be so close, even after break ups. They had never so much as yelled at each other. No doubt this scene would probably be known throughout the whole school by tomorrow morning. Magnus furiously stormed off to the Slytherin common room to head to

bed and clear his head.

As he walked off, he wondered to himself when Camille had become such a bitch.

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry this chapter is a little later, I had more school work (and fanfiction to read tbh) then I expected this week. But it's here now and I hope you enjoy :)

_Alec POV_

 

“So, Alec, care to tell us where you were yesterday?” Izzy asked as casually as if she were asking what the weather was like.

Alec was sitting at the Gryffindor table again. He had been dragged there, with a twinge of disappointment, as he had hoped that if he sat at the Ravenclaw table, Magnus would be there as well, when Jace and Izzy saw him by the entrance of the Great Hall, with Simon and Clary following a few steps behind.  Izzy and Jace had tried to pester on the subject then, but were interrupted by Jace’s fan club. Izzy, however, wasn’t about to let it go.

“I was just…walking around,” replied Alec, shoving food into him mouth.

“Uh huh,” Izzy mumbled suspiciously, narrowing her eyes.

“What? It’s true…,”Alec replied. It was the truth. Somewhat. It just wasn’t the _whole_ truth

“Okay,” said Izzy, still not convinced. “Then why didn’t you sit here last night?”

“I just sat at the Ravenclaw table with… friends.”

“Friends?”

“Yeah, friends. That’s what you call people you hang out with.”

“Alec, you have gone to school here for years and I have _never_ heard you once mention your other _friends_.”

“Oh, he was talking with some people,” Jace put in through a mouth full of scrambled eggs.

Izzy turned to Jace in shock. “What?”

“Yeah, he was sitting with some girl with curly brown hair… what’s her name? Oh! Tessa, that’s right.”

“And you somehow forgot to-” Izzy began.

“OH, and then Bane sat down at their table too,” Jace added, interrupting Izzy.

“WHAT?” Izzy’s jaw dropped.

“Weird, right?” Jace said to Izzy, then he turned to Alec and asked, “Wait, Alec, why _did_ you sit with Bane and Tessa, especially when you could’ve dinned with my magnificent self?”

“You and your just as _magnificent_ fan club. Why would I _ever_ choose to sit somewhere else?”

Jace put his hand over his heart in fake offense. He pulled it away a moment later, grinned, and said, “At least you agree that I’m magnificent.”

Alec rolled his eyes as Izzy replied, “Well, with how you’ve been preparing, let’s just hope your _magnificent_ self doesn’t get killed in the first task.”

“See Clary, I told you I was magnificent,” Jace said, turning to Clary, ignoring the rest of Izzy’s sentence.

“You’re impossible,” Izzy mumbled.

“ _Magnificently_ impossible?”

“I swear Jace, you’re lucky we need you for the Triwizard Tournament or else I would strangle you.”

“I would too,” Simon added, raiding his hand a little awkwardly.

“Same,” said Clary.

“Hey! Clary!” Jace said, shocked.

“What? You _are_ being very annoying right now. I’m starting to question my relationship choices,” Clary said playfully.

“Oh? Really?” Jace started, smirking. “Are you questioning this?” And with that, he pulled her into a kiss.

Alec looked away, letting his gaze drift across the hall as the conversation continued without him.

However, just when Alec thought he had luckily avoided any further questioning, he turned his focus back to his group of friends and Izzy gave him a look that said “I’m not done with you.”

 

And so, after breakfast, during which Alec constantly stole glances at Magnus (which did not go unnoticed by Izzy), who was sitting next across from Tessa at the Ravenclaw table, Isabelle pulled him aside.

“Alec, what were you really doing yesterday afternoon?” she demanded.

“I told you, I went for a walk,” Alec answered, only receiving a disbelieving look from his sister. “…with Magnus.”

“I KNEW IT! You two are dating, aren’t you? Did you kiss?” Izzy asked, causing Alec to turn a deep crimson. “You DID!”

“No! Izzy! We didn’t kiss!” said Alec. “We’re not even dating. We just talked.”

However, as he said that, his mind drifted back to their walk. He smiled to himself as he remembered all the times he caught Magnus watching him, all the times the two bumped into each other as they walked, sending shocks through Alec’s body, all the times their eyes would meet, that moment when, and as they were about to part ways, he could have sworn Magnus leaned in just a fraction, before Alec had regretfully walked away, yet still he felt eyes watching him as he walked away. _No, there was no way. He just likes you as a friend. It’s no good to get your hopes up. How many times to we have to discuss this?_ That did nothing to change the goofy smile he had on his face, however.

“Alec!” Izzy said, waving a hand in front of his face. “Are you even listening to me?”

“Hm?” Alec replied, snapping out of his daze.

“God, you _need_ to ask him out Alec! He clearly fancies you. And don’t get me started on your obvious feelings. ”

“What! I couldn’t-”

“And I’m picking out your outfit for your date.”

“It’s not a date! It’s going to be with all of-”

“Oh, no, I will make it a date, don’t you worry. I’ll find a way to get the rest of us to leave the group, older brother.”

“You really don’t have to-”

“And I’m picking out your outfit, once again.”

“I was just going to wear some old jeans-”

“Oh no, no, no. I’m picking your outfit and that’s that.”

“But-”

“And feel free to sit at the Ravenclaw table with him for the next few days. I’ll make up some excuse.”

“Izzy-”

“Oh, I should probably get to class.” And with that, she started to walk away.

“Wait-” Alec called.

She turned around so she was walking backwards. “Oh, and Alec, I expect full details when you actually do hook up.”

 

*          *          *

 

“I would like to welcome you all to the first task of the Triwizard Tournament!” boomed a voice through the stands.

Alec, Izzy, Simon, and Clary were all sitting in the first row of the elevated stands. In front of them was what used to be the Quidditch Field, but was currently turned into a rocky, slightly forested, area. It was a cloudy day, and there was fog hugging the ground. There was also a strange chill in the air, but Alec paid no mind to it. It was probably just a sign of the coming winter.

“So, you are probably all wondering, what is the first task? Well, let me tell you. In this task we will have one competitor at a time search around the rocky area we have here in attempt to find a box much like this one,” the announcer held up a golden box with strange writings on the sides. “The competitors will be timed on how quickly they achieve the task. However, there is a twist. We will also have a dementor in the area, and it is the champions’ jobs to go as unnoticed as possible.” The crowd all gasped at the mention of the creature. “Now, now, don’t worry; we have put a protective barrier around the stands and around the perimeter to prevent the dementor from attacking any of you or from escaping. Now, the competitors can use whatever magic they want except the Patronus Charm, unless they are in dire need. However, as the task is to go by as unnoticed as possible, the need of the use of the Patronus Charm will remove points from their final score. Also, the dementor was instructed not to perform the dementor’s kiss, but if anything gets out of hand, we have professionals on the side ready to get the dementor under control once again. So, the contestants will be judged on time, tactics, skill, and how successful they are at accomplishing the task at hand. We will go in the order of which the champions were selected, so, would you please give it up for the Beauxbaton school champion, Jean André Courtade!”

Said competitor walked onto the field from under the stands. He had a grin on his face and he was waving to the audience. He threw a wink over to Camille’s direction before turning to the task at hand. The announcer counted down from three, and then the task had begun.

Jean André immediately crouched behind the nearest rock, clearly think over his next move. He only had a few moments before the dementor was released. His faced looked screwed up in concentration. Alec assumed he was probably trying to apparate, as he wasn’t sure if the other schools knew or remembered that you can’t apparate on Hogwarts grounds.

Jean must have realized this, as he gave up trying to apparate and started running around the field, trying cover as much ground and learn his surroundings before the dementor was released. It came gliding silently, casting a chill over the nearby trees and rocks. The fog thickened and you could see Jean’s breath. A brief flash of fear sparked in his eyes, but was gone quickly. He took a deep breath, turned his wand to himself, and casted a spell.

The crowd “oohed” and “awed” as Jean disappeared. He must’ve used the Bedazzling Charm, which can turn a person or object invisible. Alec, however impressed he was, knew it was useless. Dementors are blind anyways and can sense human emotions, so being invisible won’t prevent them from finding you. And sure enough, the dementor started to glide towards a spot near where Jean had been moments before.

The dementor changed directions a few times before, finally, Jean was revealed. The dementor’s presence was sapping his strength; he could no longer keep the spell going. Jean, however week he was, was trudging along determinedly, his eyes focused on the rock in front of him. Just when it seemed that Jean could go on no more, he collapsed. The crowd gasped as the dementor neared him. He was done for it, he failed the first task. _He should have just casted the patronus charm_ , Alec thought. _Even if it would take away points, at least he would have completed the task_. Alec wondered if he even knew how to cast a patronus charm.

_What was that?_

Jean’s arm moved from under him, clutching something gold. He lifted it, and stood up, and the crowd burst into applause. Wizards and witches came in to take away the dementor. As soon as the dementor left, Jean collapsed on the ground again and was swarmed by Healers, all with chocolate in their hands. And although he was in such a weak state, the applause took a while to die out.

The announcer tried to get them settled to give the scores. The audience turned to the judges. One by one they all held up their scores: 6, 7, 8, 6, 8. A total of 35. Alec hoped Jace would do better than that as the applause erupted again. True, it wasn’t that good of a score, but it wasn’t that bad either. And the boy had accomplished the task even though he was about to pass out. Alec had no clue what Jace would decide to do.

Next was the Durmstrang champion, Viria Karsten. She walked onto the field, her red hair blowing in the wind behind her, her blue eyes shining. The announcer counted down again, and then she was off, searching the fields just as Jean did before her. She covered a lot more ground however, as she didn’t waste time in the beginning with apparition, and she was _very_ fast. She dashed in and out of trees and rocks before the dementor was released.

When it was, she crouched behind a rock and… disappeared. But not like how Jean did. She vanished, and no one knew where she was. The dementor floated around aimlessly, and if a dementor could be confused, this one definitely would be. The crowd started whispering, wondering where the girl went. What did she do? This was magic unheard of.

And, almost as soon as they realized she was gone, she was standing up from behind a tree in the right corner of the field, holding a golden box, with a triumphant smile on her face. It was a smile much like Magnus’s, Alec thought. He remembered Magnus’s face, smiling at him as he shared a story, how his eyes brightened and how he laughed and-

_No, stop. Really, you’re thing about him now, of all times?_ A small part of his brain told him. He mentally kicked himself as he heard a voice say, “Alexander.”

_Great, now you’re imagining his voice. How pathetic can you be?_

“Psst, Alec!” The voice said more urgently.

_I must be going crazy_ , Alec decided.

He suddenly felt something on his hand (along with a familiar shock) and he looked down in surprise to see a hand on top of his. He quickly drew it away, and looked under the stands, where that hand was coming from. And to his surprise, he was standing there.

_Magnus_.

“Magnus?!”

“The one and only,” he replied, smirking. “And now that I have your attention, would you come down here?”

“It’s almost Jace’s turn! I can’t miss that.”

“I promise I won’t be too long. Now would you please come down here?”

He seemed to be begging now, and hearing that in his voice, Alec knew he couldn’t say no. He mumbled some quick excuse to Izzy, he was barely listening anyway as she was in deep conversation with Simon and Clary as to what Viria did. Alec snuck away and went down the stairs and behind the stands until he found Magnus.

“Ah, Alexander, there you are,” Magnus said with a grin.

“How many times do I have to tell you to call me Alec?” Alec asked, even though he secretly loved the way Magnus said his full name. “You did it once, a few moments ago, when you were trying to get my attention. Why is it so hard now?”

“It’s just so much more fun to say Alexander. It rolls off the tongue. Not to mention its beautiful, much like the person it belongs to,” he added with a wink, and a step in Alec’s direction.

Alec blushed. “So, anyway, did you call me down here?”

“I just wanted to talk to you,” he answered without a second thought. “We haven’t spoken or even seen each other since our walk on the grounds.” He stepped closer to Alec.

“Why would you want to talk to or me?” Alec asked, trying not to focus on how close they were.

“Oh, Alexander,” he said with a smile. He closed the distance between the two of them. Alec tried to stay calm, or at least look calm. He was practically bursting with excitement and fear on the inside. His heart was beating a million miles a minute when Magnus continued, “I thought I made the answer perfectly clear.”

Alec caught his breath when Magnus began to lean forward, slowly closing any remaining distance between the two. _Is this really happening? Do I want this to happen?_ Alec knew the answers to both of those questions. But he was still worried. Scared that he was going to mess this up. He decided to push those worries away and just go with it. But just before Magnus pressed his lips to his, there was a thunder of applause and a loud stomping of feet above his head, and Alec was shocked into stumbling backward. Magnus looked surprised and disappointed.

“I-I should probably go see what’s happening,” Alec stuttered out without looking at Magnus. He walked away a little faster than he intended.

He was mentally kicking himself as he made his way up the stands. Leave it to him to mess up everything. _He was about to kiss you, idiot. Why did you walk away like that?_ Alec barely registered what was going on around him until he reached Izzy. She was jumping around with excitement, as was Clary, and Simon had a smile on his face as Izzy turned to hug him. Alec turned to look towards the judges. The scores for the past contestants were written below the judges. Viria had manages to get 43 points. He lifted his head a fraction to see Jace’s score. And there, above each and every head of the judges, was a 9. Somehow, Jace had managed to get the highest score in the first task.

And, for that moment, all Alec could think and feel was happiness and excitement and pride for his best friend, and his worries about the moment with Magnus were briefly forgotten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nope, you don't get the first kiss now. Hahahahahaha, I'm such a tease. But I promise it will happen soon...  
> Now, anyways, what did you think of the chapter? How do you think Viria accomplished the first task?  
> Anyways, the nest chapter should be up by the end of next weekend.  
> Thanks for reading and giving such lovely reviews :)


	8. Chapter 8

_Magnus POV_

 

Alec stumbled away from Magnus, a frustrating yet still annoyingly adorable sight, and soon he was out of sight.

_Damn it_ , Magnus thought to himself. He had been _so_ close to kissing Alec, something he had wanted to do for a while, but somehow Alec had managed to slip through his grasp once again.

Magnus didn’t even plan any of this. But then, the Durmstrang champion walked onto the field, and her blue eyes reminded Magnus of Alec’s eyes and how he didn’t see Alec since he sat at the Ravenclaw table for the first time, and he felt a sudden need to see him again (not that the need wasn’t already there). He had originally just intended to talk with him, throwing in a few suggestive flirts and winks as he always did, but Alec had just looked so beautiful, even though he was wearing what he wore every day, what every student wore every day. Maybe it was the fact that he didn’t see him in a while or his feelings for Alec _had_ been growing, but Magnus was suddenly overcome with the need to just grab Alec by the front of his shirt and pull him into a kiss and never let him go. However, he was worried it would scare him away so he didn’t do just that. But the need to be with Alec was too strong, so, before he knew it, he was stepping closer to him and leaning in-

And then Alec was gone. He had started to mumble some excuse and his cheeks were flushed in that endearing way and Magnus just wanted to reach out and grab him by the arm, much like in those cheesy romantic films that the older kids would sometimes watch in which the girl was about to walk away but the guy would pull her into his arms and kiss her right then. He wanted to stop Alec from leaving, steal at least one kiss after weeks of waiting. But he was still worried it would push Alec away and he didn’t want that. And so he watched in sadness and shock as the boy, that he was _so_ sure liked him, walked away.

Why was this one so challenging? Why was everything so complicated with him? _What_ had made him feel this way over this boy? What made him so different yet so much _better_?  Magnus didn’t know if he would ever figure out the answers.

He sighed and turned to make his way to the Black Lake. The first task was clearly over; there was no point of sticking around anymore. He would just take a short walk around the grounds, much like his walk with Alec, and attempt to forget those wonderful blue eyes, and how they were so full of hope, when he had started to lean in to place his own lips on Alec’s for a kiss that would never be.

 

*         *         *

 

Magnus was walking to the Great Hall in a pair of bright green skinny jeans, a light blue top and a black leather jacket. He had his hair spiked up with the ends dyed blue and he had black eyeliner on, and, of course, there was plenty of glitter. He had planned his outfit specifically for today.

It was almost 9 o’clock on the day of the Hogsmeade trip. Magnus was walking quickly to the Great Hall. This was the day. He would finally get a whole day with Alec. No interruptions, no excuses, and no missed opportunities. True, Goldilocks and the three Gryffindors would be there as well, preventing anything from actually happening, but Magnus was determined to find a way to get rid of them.

As Magnus walked the corridors, he took the time to appreciate how different everyone looked. Most everyone in their third year and up were wearing muggle outfits, a huge change from the typical robes. Muggle fashions had become very popular in the Wizard World in the last few years. So, as today was a day where the students would be leaving the castle and heading to the village, they took advantage of this opportunity and went all out to express themselves amongst their fellow students, the ones they do not see during the breaks. There were students in items from designer outfits to clothing from thrift shops, muggle-borns in fandom t-shirts or sports jerseys, and even some students designed their own clothes, adding magical features such as the ability to change size or color. The corridors were an explosion of colors and fashions, and Magnus loved it.

He walked into the Great Hall and spotted Alec by the Gryffindor table, and he took a minute to appreciate what he was wearing. Alec was in a pair of black skinny jeans and a light blue shirt, both of which fit him very nicely, showing off his toned body, which surprised Magnus because he didn’t play Quidditch and there weren’t exactly many sporting opportunities at Hogwarts. He was holding a vogue leather jacket, and looking very uncomfortable and tugging at his sleeves. In truth, the outfit wasn’t what Magnus would have expected Alec to wear. Magnus saw Alec glare at Isabelle a few times and it clicked- _Ah, she must have made him wear that_. Magnus made a mental note to thank her for that in the future as he moved towards them.

Isabelle was wearing a pair of black floral lace sheer leggings, a red lace peplum top, black high heeled boots, and a leather biker jacket. Simon was standing next to her in loose, worn, blue jeans and a shirt with Darth Vader on it (which Magnus knew because they played those movies at the orphanage from time to time and he found he actually quite enjoyed them). Magnus noticed Clary and Jace weren’t there yet and it was just Alec standing of to the side of Isabelle and Simon, who were in deep conversation about who knows what.

Magnus walked up to the group, stopping right behind Alec. “Hello everyone.”

Alec stiffened in front of him and Isabelle and Simon were shaken out of their conversation. Everyone turned to look at the new arriver. Simon and Alec’s eyes widened at Magnus’s outfit, while Isabelle looked him up and down and gave a nod of approval.

Isabelle was first to speak. “Oh, hi! You must be-”

“Magnus,” Magnus replied, cutting her off.  “And I assume you, with the great fashion sense, are Isabelle.”

“Call me Izzy,” she replied, smiling. “You’re not looking to bad yourself.”

“I’m flattered. Oh and you,” he said looking to Simon. “I know you two are dating, don’t look so jealous.” Simone just stood speechless, as Magnus continues, “Which means, you are Simon. The nerd shirt gave it away. And, of course, I know you, Alexander,” he said, throwing said boy a wink that somehow went unnoticed by Simon.

“Soooo, now that we are all here, let’s go?” asked Izzy.

“Wait, what about Jace and Cla-” Alec began.

“They aren’t joining us. The wanted to have some ‘alone time’ so they will do their Christmas shopping together,” Izzy explained. “So, let’s go.”

Magnus thanked his luck that he wouldn’t have to put up with Goldilocks, and the group started to make their way towards the village. They fell into an easy conversation quicker than Magnus predicted. They talked about the Triwizard Tournament (of course), the most recent Quidditch World Cup (which happened on the summer of last year), and school work. Magnus even joined in when Simon started to explain the story of Star Wars.

When they arrived at Hogsmeade, Izzy suddenly exclaimed, “Simon, let’s go look inside Gladrags Wizardwear.” She grabbed Simon by his wrist and started to drag him along.

“Okay,” Alec said, following his sister.

“Whoa, whoa, hold up there,” Izzy replied, turning around and stopping Alec. “You can’t know what I’m getting you for Christmas. It has to be a surprise. Why don’t you go look around for _my_ gift with Magnus?”

Magnus was starting to like Alec’s sister more and more by the second.

“But-” Alec protested.

“That sounds like a good idea,” Magnus interrupted with a satisfied smirk.

Izzy smiled. “Great. Come on, Simon.”

“Wait, I still have to get you your gift,” Simon began.

“Then you can look for that while I pick out Alec’s gift.” The two started walking away, hand in hand.

“I was hoping your brother would help me choose out your present…”

“I’m sure I’ll like whatever you get me,” Izzy replied, placing a quick kiss on his cheek.

Before long, they were gone, leaving Magnus and Alec alone. Alec tugged at his clothes adorably, clearly feeling uncomfortable.

“So, let’s look around,” suggested Magnus.

“Sure,” Alec responded.

The two started to walk around until they fell into an easy conversation. They talked about just almost everything as they walked in and out of shops, and soon they were talking and laughing like old friends. Magnus flirted less than he usually would have since they were out in public and he knew Alec wasn’t out and wouldn’t be comfortable with it. But whenever there was barely anyone around, he took his chances. Their fingers would brush when they walked side by side, Magnus would grab Alec by his wrist to drag him into yet another store, he placed his hand on Alec’s briefly when he was about to take something from his grasp, Magnus asked him if he wanted any candy from Honeydukes and not didn’t let him have any unless Magnus placed it in his mouth, he insisted on paying for Alec’s butterbeer, and he would spend as much time as he could looking at and admiring him. Alec’s face turned Gryffindor scarlet more times than Magnus could count, and he loved it. Alec did manage to find a gift for his sister, despite all the distracting Magnus attempted to do. The two stopped at most every store, including Tomes and Scrolls, the village book store, and decided to pick out a surprise gift for Tessa, because even though Magnus and Alec didn’t spend much time together over the last couple of weeks, the two each spent time individually with Tessa, and she had become a pretty good friend of theirs.

“I really hope she didn’t read this one already,” said Alec as they walked out of Tomes and Scrolls.

“That’s a hard thing to hope for,” Magnus replied. “She has probably read most every book that has ever been published. But maybe she doesn’t have a copy of this, so I think we’re good.”

“That’s good,” Alec said. “Do you want to head back now?”

“Why not?” replied Magnus.

And so they made their way back to the castle, but they somehow ended up roaming the grounds. The temperature started to drop and Alec was rubbing his hands together to stay warm. His cheeks had a small taint of pink because of the cold, creating the same adorable look he got when he was embarrassed.  Magnus really wanted to wrap his arms around him, to warm each other with shared body heat, but he didn’t know how Alec would take it.

“Are you cold?” Magnus asked.

“A little,” Alec replied.

“Here, let me help.” Magnus took Alec’s hands between his. They were really cold, as expected, but also soft yet slightly calloused in some spots, but the skin was mostly smooth.

Alec made a small gasp when Magnus grabbed his hands, but didn’t pull away. Magnus started to move his hands back and forth a little, creating the much needed friction. Alec’s hands didn’t take long to warm up.

“Thanks,” Alec said bashfully.

“No problem,” Magnus replied tenderly.

Neither of the two pulled away.

Snow started to fall from the sky, fluttering in tiny little flakes. Some got caught in Alec’s hair, contrasting brilliantly with his ebony hair, and his wide eyes shown more brightly than ever. He looked so breathtakingly beautiful.

_You know what, screw it. I’m just gonna do it_ , Magnus decided.

“You know Alec, there’s something I’ve been meaning to do.”

“W-What’s that?” He asked shyly.

Magnus gave him a small smile. “This.”

 And he leaned in.

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I left the last chapter at a cliffhanger, I decided to write the next chapter ASAP. I stayed up really late and I have school tomorrow, so I really hope you enjoy.

_Alec POV_

“This.” Magnus said, his hands still on Alec’s, giving Alec a pleasant tingling feeling throughout his whole body. Before Alec could register what was happening, he felt Magnus’s warm lips on his. Alec uttered a small gasp.

Alec froze in shock for a moment. Magnus was kissing him. Magnus Bane was kissing _him_. _The_ Magnus Bane was _kissing_ him. But he didn’t have much time to consider that because his mind turned to jelly within seconds as he gave himself up to the overwhelming world of emotions, closed his eyes, and he leaned to the kiss. He shook himself out of his dazed state and started kissing Magnus back. Magnus expertly parted Alec’s lips and Alec breathed him in. He smelled of sandalwood and butterbeer, and there was a faint taste of peppermint and chocolate. The world around them slipped away, and all that mattered, all that existed, was them. Alec lifted his arms and wrapped them around Magnus’s neck, and Magnus placed his hands on Alec’s hips and pulled his body closer to his till they were flush up against each other. They fit perfectly, like puzzle pieces. Alec felt energy flow through his body as the kiss deepened. There was built up impatience for this moment from the both of them. Alec ran his fingers through Magnus’s spiked hair, combing out the gel holding it up, and he hear a soft moan from the back of Magnus’s throat. The two were lost in each other as the snow fluttered around them, and Alec didn’t remember ever feeling cold. How could he, especially when he was surrounded by everything Magnus, the boy he once thought would never spare him a second glace. He felt like he was floating.

The two separated when the snow started falling in clumps. Magnus was smiling down at Alec as he said, “As much as I hate to end this, I don’t want you to get frost bite out here. Let’s head back?”

Alec nodded, sad that the moment was over, but ecstatic that it even happened. Magnus grabbed his hand, intertwining Alec’s fingers with his, sending sparks through his body, and gave him another smile. The two headed back to the castle, Alec laying his head on Magnus’s shoulder.  

When they got back to the castle, it was already dark outside. Before the two parted ways, Magnus turned Alec to face him.

“Alexander?” Magnus asked nervously, quite unlike his usual confident self.

“Y-Yes?” Alec asked, nervous of what Magnus would say. _Had he done something wrong? Was he_ that _bad of a kisser?_ He knew he lacked in experience compared to Magnus, but that didn’t seem to matter at the time. He braced himself for the worst.

He shouldn’t have been worried.

“Will you be my date to the Yule Ball?” Magnus asked hopefully.

Alec was at loss for words. How was this happening? First the kiss, now this? He couldn’t believe any of it was true.

“Well?” Magnus asked when Alec didn’t respond.

Alec didn’t know how to respond. The majority of his brained screamed “SAY YES!” while a small part of his brain reminded him that he wasn’t out yet. He was still worried of what people would think, even though most everyone at Hogwarts was fine with it, and he was worried about what Jace would think, and how his parents would think were they to find out.

If Alec was being honest, he wasn’t why he was so worried. Why should it matter? This was everything he had been waiting for, hoping for, for years, and more.

Gathering up his confidence, he leaned up to Magnus and pressed his lips to his. It was a softer kiss than the first one, filled with tenderness.

Alec pulled away and whispered, “Is that a good enough answer?”

Magnus grinned and placed a quick kiss on Alec’s lips. “I’m looking forward to it, Alexander,” he whispered, his lips brushing Alec’s. Alec closed his eyes as a shiver went down his spine.

And then Magnus was gone. Alec’s eyes snapped open as he felt Magnus’s absence sink in. He watched as his lean figure walked away, looking perfect as ever.

Alec’s head was buzzing with everything that happened. He felt himself smile as looked back on the events of the day. He couldn’t believe his luck. But was it luck? There was no way something this good could happen to anyone out of luck, even if they were on Felix Felicis. _But how could Magnus like me? What do I have to offer?_

He decided not to question the sudden positive turn of events in his life. He headed to the Great Hall, smiling to himself.

Things were definitely looking up for him.

 

*       *       *

 

“Well, someone’s looking happier,” Jace said when Alec sat down next to him at the Gryffindor table. “What’s got you got so happy-dappy?”

Izzy smirked at Alec from across the table

“Nothing much,” Alec said sitting down, grabbling a roll. He still wasn’t able to wipe the smile off his face.

“Oh, really?” Jace said disbelievingly. “Because, I could have sworn there was something.”

“You must be imagining things,” Alec replied.

“Maybe…,” Jace considered. “Or maybe there’s something you’re no telling me.”

Alec didn’t respond.

“So, Alec, is there a special someone in your life?” he asked. Still met with silence, he continued, “a certain Slytherin, possibly the one who is looking at you right now?”

Alec nearly choked on his food. He turned around to look at the Slytherin table and his eyes met golden-green ones. Magnus winked at him, and Alec turned around again to look at Jace, who was looking at him with one eyebrow raised.

“Honestly, Alec, why didn’t you tell me?”

“I- Well- Um- Wha- H-How did you know?” Alec asked shocked

“That you’re gay? Alec, I’m your best friend, how could I not? Especially when of late, whenever Magnus was mentioned, you turned as red a tomato, and not to mention all of that time you have been spending with him.”

Alec was speechless.

“And I am quite offended that you didn’t tell me earlier. We’re like brothers, we tell each other everything. Why not this?” Jace asked.

“I-I wasn’t sure how you’d- I mean, I was worried that-” Alec tried to explain.

“- that I wouldn’t want to be your friend anymore?” Jace asked. Alec nodded his head. “Alec, I couldn’t care less about whether you are attracted to guys or girls or frickin’ trees. Though that last one would be weird. But you’re my best friends, and your sexual orientation doesn’t change that.”

Alec suddenly wondered why he had ever been worried. Of course Jace would mind, he knew that. He couldn’t believe he ever doubted it.

“I know,” Alec said. “But was it really that obvious?”

“Yes,” Jace replied.

“I knew for years,” Clary said suddenly.

“Even I could tell,” pitched in Simon.

Alec put his head in his hands.

“But seriously Alec, what’s got you so happy today?” Jace said, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Did you kiss him?” Izzy asked impatiently.

Alec looked down at his food, trying to hide his blush.

It didn’t work.

“FINALLY!” Izzy exclaimed, clapping her hands and getting the attention of the people nearby.

“ _Izzy!_ ”

“Sorry.” She whispered. “But when did it happen? How was it? No, start from the beginning. I want full details.”

Alec buried his face in his hands and mumbled, “Noooo.”

“Um, Izzy, you know, I’m good without that,” Simon said.

“Same,” Clary and Jace added.

“Fine,” Izzy said. “But I need to have a quick chat with Magnus.” She stood up out of her chair.

“Me too,” added Jace, getting up to join her.

“Wait, why?” asked Alec.

“Oh, we just want to warn him,” Izzy said.

“And tell him that if he breaks your heart, we break him,” Jace continued.

“Wait, no, you don’t have to do that,” Alec said hurriedly.

“Don’t worry Alec,” Izzy said. She turned and started walking away.

Alec grabbed her wrist, stopping her from leaving, and said, “Okay, just don’t go too far. He’s asked me to the Yule Ball and I don’t want you to-”

“He WHAT,” Izzy said excitedly.

“And you thought you could keep THAT from me?” Jace asked, shaking his head.

“I’m picking out your dress robes. Clearly my fashion choices worked,” she said, smirking. Alec didn’t think it was possible, but he was sure his face turned a deeper shade of red.

Izzy and Jace started walking away from Alec and towards Magnus, and Alec kept his head down, trying to avoid looking at what was happening.

Before long, they returned. Alec looked at his sister expectantly.

“He’s good,” she said. Then, she turned towards Simon like nothing ever happened. Jace and Clary resumed their conversation from earlier as well.

Alec decided he was done and he headed out of the Great Hall and off to bed.

Not a moment after he left the Great Hall, he felt warm arms wrap around hip and soft lips press against his. He didn’t even have to ask who it was.

“What was that for?” Alec asked.

“Just wanted to wish you goodnight,” Magnus replied.

“Well, goodnight, Magnus,” Alec replied, reluctantly pulling away from Magnus. He walked away, feeling Magnus’s eyes on him.

And when he was almost out of earshot, he heard Magnus say, “Goodnight, Alexander.”

 

And what a good night it was.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this update took so long. I have had a lot more school work than I expected. Also, since Blood of Olympus is being released in less than two weeks, I have been trying to reread Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus before then. But I finally finished the next chapter.  
> Hope you enjoy :)

_Magnus POV_

It was snowing outside when Magnus woke up the next morning. He stared up at the ceiling, feeling happy, though he couldn’t quite remember why. Then, as the events of the previous day came flooding back into his mind, he couldn’t help but smile to himself. It really had been the perfect day, from seeing Alec in that fantastic outfit, of which Magnus still had to thank Izzy for, right down to the final goodnight kiss, knowing it was something he could do freely now. He grinned at the memory of when he first leaned into Alec, the feeling of Alec’s strong arms wrapped around his neck, his hands tugging at his hair, and his lips tingled when he remembered the taste of Alec’s soft lips on them, inexperienced yet full of passion, taking Magnus’s breath away. Magnus could almost imagine that he was still there.

He hummed happily to himself as he got up out of bed. Maybe he’d get to feel those surprisingly wonderful lips on his again today.

 

*        *       *

 

“Jace, have you figured out what the next task is gonna be?” asked Clary.

Magnus wasn’t sure how, but he somehow managed to find himself seated at the Gryffindor table, which was surprisingly less crowded this morning. He was sitting next to Alec on his right, their fingers intertwined under the table so no one would notice, and Clary on his right. Magnus was running his thumb absentmindedly across the back of Alec’s hand, and Alec was trying his best to hide that adorable blush.

“Um… yea, I’ve got it all figured out.”

Clary didn’t look convinced. “Really? Well then, what is it?”

“I’m afraid I can’t say right now,” Jace said.

“And why’s that,” Clary asked accusingly.

“Bane is here,” Jace said. “He could go off and tell Camille, so her boyfriend would know it, and I’d much rather have the upper hand.”

“You think I’d actually tell Camille?” Magnus asked.

“Well, yeah. You guys are like the best of friends, when you’re not dating that is,” Izzy put in.

“Yeah, I don’t think that’s the case anymore,” Magnus said casually.

Everyone turned to him in shock. “Why?” Simon asked.

“Simple: Camille. Is. A. Bitch.”

“Duh,” Izzy said. “She’s always been; everyone knew that.”

“Except Magnus,” Alec said under his breath.

Magnus pretended he didn’t hear that. _Of course Alec didn’t like her, especially not since she was your ex girlfriend_. Magnus wondered how long Alec had liked him.

“Well, it’s over now,” Magnus told them. “So you don’t have to worry about me fraternizing with the enemy,” Magnus direct at Jace.

“Okay, but I’m not taking any chances,” Jace said.

Clary rolled her eyes. Magnus doubted she even believed he knew what the next task was. And honestly, Magnus wasn’t convinced either.

“Oh, by the way, can I ask you something Magnus?” Izzy asked from across the table.

“Yeah?” Magnus replied, turning towards her.

“I was just wondering if you could help me with my makeup for the Yule Ball.” She replied.

Magnus smiled. “Sure. But you don’t really need any help. Your makeup is always flawless, from what I’ve seen,” he replied.

Izzy smiled. “Why thank you. You’re pretty good yourself. Especially your eyeliner; how do you always manage to get it so perfect, every time? Is it a certain brand or something?”

Magnus grinned; he loved it when he had someone to discuss this with. “Well, actually-”

“Could you guys stop talking about makeup?” Jace interrupted.

“Thank you!” Simon and Alec said at the same time.

“Hey!” said Izzy and Magnus, turning to their boyfriends.

“Sorry,” Simon replied. “But I can never even tell what you are saying when you get into it.”

“And as great as it is that you get along with my sister,” Alec said to Magnus, “it is a little awkward for me that you bond _this_ much.”

“At least they finally stopped,” Jace put in.

“Or we could start again,” Izzy said. “Magnus, as you were saying.”

“Oh, no, Magnus; stop right there. You can’t say it if she’s not listening,” said Simon, as he did the most un-Simon like thing and he pulled Izzy into a sudden kiss right there. Clary, Jace and Alec all had shocked expressions on their faces, while Magnus clapped his hands in approval.

Simon pulled back a moment later to find Izzy frozen in shock. “That…was…” Izzy began.

“Sorry-I-was that-?” Simon started to say, flustered.

“…the HOTTEST thing you have ever done!” Izzy finished, smiling at him.

“Oh… really?” Simon said, with a smirk.

“Oh, shut up,” Izzy said, and she grabbed him by the shirt and kissed him. “I’m the hot one in this relationship,” she said jokingly when she pulled away. “Though, it is _really_ hot when you do that.”

“And I thought the makeup talk was annoying,” Jace said, interrupting their moment.

“Really Jace, it’s not like you don’t do the same thing,” Clary said.

“Yeah, but only I can do it since I’m the fabulous one.”

“I beg to differ,” Magnus said.

“Oh? You think you are more fabulous than me?”

“I think everyone thinks I’m more fabulous.”

“Really? Let’s see then,” Jace said, turning to the rest of the group. “Who thinks Magnus is more fabulous than me?”

Everyone’s hands shot up, Clary’s being the last to rise.

Jace looked at everyone in shock. “Clary! Really?” he said, to which Clary just shrugged. Magnus gave her an approving nod.

 Jace turned to Izzy, skipping over Simon as if he expected nothing less since everyone else raised their hands, and Izzy said, “Sorry Jace, but have you seen his style?”

Magnus grinned at her, and Izzy gave him a smile in return.

Jace’s eyes landed on Alec’s last. “Come on Alec, really, I’m your best friend.”

“Sorry Jace, but I can’t deny the truth.” Alec replied.

Magnus’s smile widened at his boyfriend’s response. For some reason, it meant more when Alec said it. Magnus squeezed his hand lightly, and Alec smiled at him, he blue eyes shining, before he turned his head away, clearly hoping no one noticed. And as much as Magnus wished Alec was comfortable with it all, he was content being with him at all.

  _He really is something special_ , Magnus thought to himself.

 

*            *           *

 

Later that day, the snow finally stopped. It had snowed all morning, but only lightly, leaving a beautiful yet thin layer of snow on the grounds. And, seeing as he had nothing else to do, Magnus joined Alec and his group of friends and they did the only thing that seemed to make sense at the time: they had a snowball fight.

So there they were, outside, all bundled up in hats and scarves of their own houses. It was every man (and woman) for themselves, so before the grounds were covered in foot prints from the sprinting bodies of the students. The air was full of surprised screams and laughter, and Magnus loved it. Whoever thought snowball fights was only for kids didn’t know anything. We are all kids at heart, because it’s a great thing to be able to lose yourself once in a while and just act like your five-year-old self, the person without troubles or worries, and just have fun.

Magnus felt something icy hit the back of his head, shaking himself out of his thoughts. He turned to see Jace smirking at him. He was already forming another snowball.

“Oh, you got lucky Goldilocks. Don’t think you’ll get me again,” Magnus called.

And so, Magnus quickly chucked the snowball he had in his hand. He smiled when it hit home, right on the top of Jace’s head.

“You’re not the only one who can throw,” Magnus called when it hit his head.

“Oh, you’ll pay for that,” Jace responded, lifting his hand.

Jace threw his next snowball, but Magnus, expecting the throw, simply dodged.

“Told you- lucky,” Magnus said.

Suddenly, a group of three snowballs came flying out of nowhere. Magnus dodged, but the snowballs seemed to have a mind of their own and they turned to hit him. Magnus looked around till his eyes landed on Clary, who was enchanting snowballs to fly everywhere. Simon had also taken that to habit, while Alec and Izzy were chasing each other, each with a snowball or two in hand. Alec was smiling as he chased his sister, his Ravenclaw scarf flapping behind him, the blue in the scarf bringing out his eyes, his cheeks a light pink from the cold. He was laughing, his voice a beautiful sound to Magnus’s ears.

“Earth to Bane!” a voice said.

Magnus turned to face Jace.

“You look ridiculous you know, staring at him all the time,” Jace said.

Magnus glared at him. “You look just as stupid, if not more, when you’re around Cla-”

_Thump_. Another snowball on the back of his head. _God, how does that keep happening?_

Jace burst out laughing. “Nice shot, Alec!”

Magnus turned around to see his boyfriend grinning at him. “Why you little-” Magnus started. He bent down a scooped up some snow. “I’ll get you for that!” he finished playfully.  And he started towards Alec, snowball in his hand.

Alec turned around and started running away.

Magnus chased him around for a while, both of them laughing and smiling. When he got in range, Magnus threw the snowball, but as they were both running, it was really easy for Alec to dodge it, and the snowball flew by his right. But Magnus didn’t stop chasing him.

Eventually, Alec gave in and let Magnus catch him. Magnus wrapped an arm around Alec’s waist as the both stopped running and Alec bent over in laughter. They were both still laughing and Magnus wrapped his other arm around Alec, as to hug him from behind, trapping him in Magnus’s embrace.

“Got you,” Magnus whispered in Alec’s ear. He felt Alec shudder slightly against him. But it was over as quickly as it started as right the Alec said playfully, “Or not,” and he started to push himself out of Magnus’s grasp.

“Oh no, you’re not getting away from me so easily,” said Magnus, so, before Alec could walk away, Magnus grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him back, turning Alec to face him. He wrapped his arms around him once again and Alec looked up into his eyes. His blue eyes were wide, breathtaking as can be.

“You’re so beautiful,” Magnus blurted suddenly.

Alec turned his head down, his hair shielding him from Magnus as his face turned a deep crimson and he said, “Wha-me? No I-I’m not. I’m anything but. Especially when compared to you. You’re the beautiful one. You’re-”. He shook his head slightly, as if he couldn’t finish that sentence.

Magnus stared at him, shocked. How could he not believe he was beautiful? Magnus couldn’t believe it. He had been so focused on that that he ignored the little stutter in his heart when Alec had called him beautiful.

He put one finger under Alec’s chin and lifted his head, using the other hand to brush the hair from his eyes. “Alexander, look at me. You’re beautiful in every single way.” Magnus kept his gaze locked with Alec’s.

“How could you even possibly believe that? I-I’m-” Alec began, trying to look away, but Magnus wouldn’t let him. Magnus took Alec’s face in his hands and held him there, slowly running his thumbs along Alec’s cheekbones.

“-wonderful,” Magnus said, cutting Alec off. “Beautiful. Amazing. That is what you are, nothing less,” Magnus said, closing the distance between them and pressing his lips on Alec’s. He felt the same tingling feeling as the time he first did it.

Magnus pulled back not too long after he started the kiss and asked, “Still don’t believe you’re beautiful?”

Alec looked up at him, cheeks still flushed. “Mmm… I might need some more convincing,” Alec said, giving Magnus a soft and endearing smile.

Magnus was more than happy to comply.


	11. Chapter 11

_Alec POV_

“Jace, it’s like -10 degrees outside!” Alec said as they headed down the stairs.

“Alec, I haven’t played Quidditch, much less ridden a broom, in six months!” Jace argued. “Do you know what that’s like for me? Just this one time, okay? Could you do that for me?”

“Fine,” Alec replied.

If he was being honest, Alec also missed flying, just a little. True, he didn’t actually play Quidditch, but he would always help Jace practice when they both had nothing to do. He enjoyed the feeling of flying, feeling as though he was weightless, the wind blowing through his hair as he saw the world spread out beneath him. He would also help Izzy practice at home, and sometimes the two would let Max join in and they would teach him the game. It wasn’t the sport that intrigued him; it was the feeling of being free. It was one of the only times he felt as if there was nothing to worry about. He could imagine the rest of the world didn’t exist for a second when he flew around on his own, as if it was only him and the sky. He wasn’t connected to the troubles of his life on Earth, at least for a moment. So, when Alec left Hogwarts, he knew he wouldn’t miss the sport since he can still fly around his family’s estate and still get that wonderful freeing feeling.

So there he was, walking towards the Quidditch pitch, back to its original state, with his broomstick at his side. It was a Firebolt Supreme, the fastest broom in the world at the time when his parents bought it for him, 3 years ago. They had really wanted Alec to join the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, so they got him a top of the line broomstick as a surprise, early birthday gift, as if that would convince him to try out. Needless to say, it didn’t work.

Jace had the same broom, despite the fact that there were countless newer, better models that have been released through the last few years. But he seemed happy with it, and he never lost a game while riding it so it was a pretty good fit.

Jace couldn’t practice Quidditch at home, seeing as he lived in the heart of London, amidst all the muggles. Not that he would have anyone to practice with anyways. His parents worked in the Ministry of Magic in the Department of Mysteries, which was why they lived in the heart of the city, and were rarely home. But Jace’s parents wouldn’t let him visit any of his friends (and girlfriend), or let his friends visit, so most every summer was a lonely one. He was allowed to write to Alec and Izzy and Clary and other friends (he never really wrote to Simon, not that Alec blamed him; Alec didn’t really write to him either), but Alec knew it wasn’t the same. He knew how Jace would spend most of his time over the summers either in an empty apartment or he would walk to Diagon Alley and just look around at the shops. Most every business owner knew Jace so they would sometimes give him free samples of their food, extending the offer to Alec the few times he and Jace met up there, or help him with his homework. Jace’s favorite destination was the joke shop, by far, and Alec always had to keep an eye out for his pranks at the beginning of the year. The owners of the store would also give him discounts or some small free items, sympathizing with him. Apparently they had a friend who, when they were at school, also had to go through summers without friends, even a year where he couldn’t send letters to his friends (and he didn’t receive letters either, but the owners never wanted to go into that). 

Alec and Jace finally reached the pitch. It was a sunny morning, only a couple of clouds to be seen in the sky. The ground was still covered in a light layer of snow, the tips of the grass below starting to peek through. It was silent outside, not another human awake and outside for miles, leaving only the sounds of nature. If Alec listened closely, he could hear the faint clopping of a centaur’s hooves or the small splash of the waves of the not-yet-frozen Great Lake. Alec saw a barn owl flying towards the castle, and he also saw a white cat, blending in with the snow, and he spotted a ginger guinea pig.

Not wasting another second, Jace hopped on his broomstick and kicked off the ground and into the air. Alec followed suit and not a moment later he was in the air, the ground getting farther and farther away. The ground shrunk away beneath him as he rose above the stands. The wind was stronger up here, blowing Alec’s hair every direction. He shook it out of his face before flying over to Jace. Every time Alec helped Jace practice they would always race each other around the pitch. They were neck in neck as far as speed goes, so neither ever won more than a few times in a row. This time, Jace was rustier than Alec, so Alec easily won. He did a 360 degree aerial turn in the air when he beat Jace, with a cry of victory.

“Showoff,” Jace said, yet with a grin.

Alec flew to the goal posts closest to him while Jace went down to the ground to retrieve the Quaffle. They fell into a familiar routine; Jace would shoot the fly around the pitch a little bit before heading towards Alec, aiming at one of the posts, and he would shoot. Alec was a pretty good Keeper, and he knew all of Jace’s tricks, so he always provided a challenge. Jace would have to think up new strategies, new ways or tricks, or how to increase the speed and strength of the Quaffle throw or learn how to curve the throw, anything to score.

Alec was so focused in the game that his mind almost didn’t register the figure that had sat down in the stands. Almost.

He felt eyes on him and risked a quick glance at the stands, to see Magnus watching him intently. However, this distraction allowed Jace to easily score. Jace shouted a “Yes!” and Magnus smiled to himself as Alec shot him a quick glare before rolling his eyes and returning his focus to Jace.

“The next one won’t be as easy!” Alec shouted to Jace.

“Try not to stare at Magnus too much then,” Jace called back with a smirk.

Alec felt his face turn red, and it wasn’t from the cold.

Alec tried to ignore Magnus’s presence while he defended, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. His eye’s never left Alec, and Alec could constantly feel them on him, tempting him to turn his head. He managed as best that he could, but he didn’t perform as well as usual. Jace scored more frequently as Alec’s mind continued to wander towards the stands.

About 30 minutes later, Jace and Alec flew to the ground and dismounted from their brooms. Jace started heading back to the castle for breakfast while Alec stayed, waiting for Magnus.

It wasn’t too long before Alec felt arms wrap around his waist from behind and soft lips press against his cheek. “Good morning, darling,” Magnus whispered in his ear.

Alec turned around and placed his lips on Magnus’s lips, before pulling out of Magnus’s grasp and grabbing his hand, intertwining their fingers.

“What are you doing here?” Alec asked.

“Just wanted to see you,” Magnus replied with a grin. They started walking back to the castle, hand in hand.

“How could you have known I would be here?” Alec questioned.

“I didn’t,” Magnus admitted. “I was just walking the grounds and saw you and Goldilocks heading towards the Quidditch pitch and decided, ‘why not?’”

“Goldilocks? You’re still calling Jace that?”

“Of course. I couldn’t refer to him by his name. People would assume we were friends,” Magnus said, still smiling at Alec.

Alec rolled his eyes, right when the Durmstrang champion, Viria, came into view, heading their way. Alec quickly let go of Magnus’s and Magnus’s smile dropped a little, and Alec immediately felt bad. He didn’t want to hurt Magnus, but he still wasn’t comfortable letting the whole world know of his sexuality. It was fine that his friends knew, and even though he knew most Hogwarts students didn’t mind it, he didn’t know how the other schools would take it.

It wasn’t long till Viria passed them and was out of earshot. Alec let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and Magnus looked over at him. “You’re not yet fully comfortable with people knowing, are you?” he asked Alec.

“Well no. I mean – it’s just-”

“-its fine,” Magnus reassured him. “Take your time. Being with you secretly is better than not at all.”

Hearing that, Alec couldn’t help but lean up to Magnus and kiss him. Alec wrapped his arms around Magnus, while Magnus’s hands lifted to gently tug at Alec’s hair, causing Alec to sigh softly.

Alec didn’t let the kiss last long, since they were so close to the castle now, but with another smile from Magnus he knew it was fine. He understood.

 They walked into the building and headed towards the Great Hall, both content with being next to each other.

_How did I end up with such a great boyfriend?_ Alec asked himself happily.

 

*           *           *

 

There were robes of dark royal blue with thin silver strings threaded throughout the fabric, barely noticeable yet adding a nice touch, lying on Alec’s bed. It was December 25th, Christmas, the night of the Yule ball. There was a note that just said, “Hope Tessa gets this to you. Go get him tiger ;-) –Izzy” lying on top of the robes.

“Izzy,” Alec groaned after putting the note down.

Alec knew she was picking his dress robes, but he had stupidly hoped that she would have at least picked out something simple. True, Alec knew that this was simpler than his sister would have preferred, but he really hoped that Izzy would have listened to him. He had asked, even _begged_ , her to get him regular black dress robes. He should have known she wouldn’t have listened. At least the buttoned-down shirt to wear under was the regular white.

Alec sighed to himself. _Too late to change it now_ , he thought sadly. He grudgingly grabbed the robes off the bed and started to change, making a promise to himself to get Izzy back for this.

He took a look at himself in the mirror when he finally put the robes on. If possible, his eyes stood out even more, contrasting with the dark blue brilliantly. He had to admit, it actually wasn’t the worst option for his features. He just wished he could get rid of the silver strands, which, although unnoticeable to most, stood out way too much for his liking. And he still would have preferred plain black ones. But there was nothing he could do.

_It’ll be fine_ , he told himself. _It’s just one night_.

He turned around and headed out the door.

 

*         *        *

 

As Alec neared the Great Hall, he spotted Jace and Clary immediately. Jace was in black dress robes that were scarlet on the inside, with a black buttoned-down shirt. Clary was in a simple yet elegant golden gown, her red hair ribboned up in a twisted updo. They looked like the staple Gryffindor couple, all red and gold. Jace had his arm around Clary and the two were smiling. They would be opening the dance, along with the other champions and their dates. Alec couldn’t see any of the other champions, but as he searched, he spotted Izzy and Simon, making their way towards Clary and Jace. Simon was in simple black dress robes, much like what Alec had wanted to wear, and a white buttoned-down shirt. He was barely noticeable next to Alec’s sister, who, as always, caught his attention, but not the same way as usual. She would usually some very revealing piece of clothing, but today it was different. She was in a white dress that, while it was tight fitting, showing off her curvy figure, was floor length, a little fanned out at the bottom, with hanging sleeves and a high neck line, and there was a silver, twisted band around the her waist. Her dark hair was in up in a bun made from a twisted braid, with a few strands of hair framing her face in curls. She had on a pair of black, high heeled boots and silver hoop earrings. Alec was surprised at the simplicity of the outfit, but Simon was looking at her like she was the most beautiful person he had ever seen.

Alec neared them just as they reached Clary and Jace, just in time to hear Clary exclaim, “Oh my god, Izzy! You look like a modern-day Princess Leia!”

“Who?” Alec and Jace asked simultaneously.

Simon rolled his eyes and muttered, “Purebloods. And they say muggle-borns are oblivious,” before explaining, “Ok. In the muggle world, we have this thing called ‘movies’.” His voice took on the tone of someone explaining something to a 5-year old. “These ‘movies’ are basically moving pictures that tell a story, lasting usually 1 and a half to 3 hours. One of these movies that is really popular is Star Wars, a movie that takes place ‘a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away’. It is basically one of the most epic movies ever, featuring Luke Skywalker who-”

“Yeah, whatever. Enough with the nerd-talk,” Jace said, cutting him off. He turned to Izzy and Clary. “But that doesn’t explain how you guys know it.”

“Simon showed the movies me a couple of years ago,” Clary explained.

“And I saw them over the summer when I went over his house,” Izzy added. “You know, their actually not _that_ bad.”

“Not that bad?” Simon questioned. “You couldn’t take your eyes off the screen during the movie, and then demanded that we have a marathon.”

Izzy shoved him playfully, and the two were smiling, and Alec understood why Izzy had chosen that dress.

“My, my, Alexander,” a voice said suddenly to Alec’s right. “You look absolutely stunning.”

Alec blushed and turned to see Magnus smiling at him. Alec gasped. Magnus was in emerald green shiny dress robes with a glittery silver stripe down the sides and he had a purple buttoned-down shirt with golden buttons that had the first two buttons opened. He had purple eye shadow that made his yellow-green eyes pop, and glittery golden eyeliner. Alec didn’t think it was possible, but he looked even more breathtaking than usual.

Alec, stunned into silence, shook himself out of his shock just enough to stutter out, “Th-thanks, you t-too.”

Magnus’s smile broadened. “You’re so adorable when your speechless, even more so than normal.” He turned to the rest of the group and his eyes landed on Izzy. “Let me guess… Princess Leia?” he guessed.

Izzy nodded and Alec turned to him, surprised, and asked, “Wait, how did you know that?”

“They played those movies at the orphanage from time to time,” he explained.

Before Alec could say anything, the doors opened to the Great Hall. Students started flooding through the doors. Alec, Izzy, Magnus, Simon, Clary, and Jace followed the crowd.

The Great Hall looked like the inside of a fairy ice palace. All the tables were crystal white and the floor was a light pale blue, and there was fake snow falling from the ceilings. There were Christmas trees coated in light snow in the corners of the room. There were fairies flying around the room, above the heads of the students.

Clary and Jace went to sit at the head table with the rest of the champions and their dates. Alec, Magnus, Izzy, and Simon found a table off to the side and sat down as students trickled into the hall. Magnus grabbed Alec’s hand under the table. Alec smiled up at him, briefly, before turning away.

He felt Magnus squeeze his hand. “Don’t worry, no one was watching,” he said quietly.

Alec wanted to lean against him and to kiss him right then and there, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. For the time being, he was content with being next to him, and it was great to know that Magnus wouldn’t pressure him into anything. But he still felt a little bad about it.

The first part of the night flew by in a blur of small talk, laughter, delicious food, and the constant winks and compliments from Magnus. Before long, the food disappeared off the tables and the students stood up, before the tables and chairs disappeared as well. The champions and their partners walked to the center of the dance floor and turned to face each other. Jean André’s date was, of course, Camille, who was in a strapless red dress that faded to black at the bottom. She had on black and silver heels and her hair feel in loose curls around her head. Jean André himself was in white dress robes and a white buttoned-down shirt with silver buttons. They looked like an angel and a demon, and you can guess who Alec pictured as the demon. Meanwhile, Viria had on a simple light blue dress, her hair falling around her carelessly. Her date was a Beauxbaton student with blonde hair and brown eyes in dark gray robes, like that of storm clouds, and his buttoned down shirt was black, with black buttons. The two were the least noticeable of the pairings, but they still looked great in their own way. Alec turned his attention to Clary and Jace, who were smiling and looking at each other as if the rest of the world didn’t exist. Alec couldn’t help but feel happy for his best friend. Before Clary, Jace had never been this happy, and even though she had annoyed Alec at first, she was a good influence on Jace, which was something he had needed.

The girls place one hand on their partner’s shoulder, while their other hand grasped their partner’s and their partner placed a hand on their hip. A soft waltz began to flow through the hall, and champions and their partners began to dance. Alec and Magnus stood off to the side with Simon and Izzy, watching the dancers and swaying slightly to the music. Other students started to move onto the dance floor. Izzy and Simon left while Alec and Magnus stayed where they were, next to each other but not to close.

As Alec watched all those couples dancing, he noticed Aline Penhallow dancing with Helen Blackthorn. Everyone knew the two were dating, but as Alec watched them, comfortable with who they were, Alec felt a surge of confidence. He grabbed Magnus’s hand and pulled him to the dance floor. They got lost in the crowd before Alec stopped and turned to face him.

“Are you sure?” Magnus asked him.

Alec nodded and wrapped his arms around Magnus’s neck as an answer. _What am I doing?_ Alec thought to himself, but just then Magnus smiled and placed his hands on Alec’s waist, and they started to dance to the music.

Alec looked around nervously, worried of what people might think, but no one seemed to be paying attention, everyone too focused on their dance partners. Even the people on the sides didn’t seem to mind, as their gazes passed over him and Magnus, not even lingering on them for a split second.

Alec turned back to look at Magnus, whose eyes were full of worry and concern. “We don’t have to do this if you’re not comfortable,” he said to Alec.

“I’m fine. I want this,” Alec said. Magnus smiled and Alec let himself get lost in his beautiful eyes, in the feeling of his arms around his waist. Really, it didn’t matter what anyone thought. If someone wasn’t okay with this, Alec didn’t care anymore. This made him happy. Magnus made him happy. And that was what mattered to him.

Magnus was looking at him like he was the only person in the world, and Alec felt himself smile. God, he was beautiful. Magnus beamed at him, and Alec felt light on his feet. Lost in the moment, he couldn’t help himself. Alec leaned up and, just as the song was ending, he kissed him. Magnus was momentarily frozen in shock, but quickly snapped out of it and lean into the kiss. Alec felt his embrace tighten as he was pulled closer to Magnus. His heart stuttered in his chest.

Alec barely registered the end of the song, but he did notice the applause of the other students for the band. He broke off the kiss, and Magnus was still smiling down at him, just before he heard a familiar voice say, “Well, it’s about time.”

Tessa came into view, smiling at the two of them. She had on a purple dress and her hair was in a messy bun.

“I was wondering when you two would finally let at least _me_ know. I didn’t expect it to be when you told the whole school, but at least it’s now clarified,” she finished.

“How did you know?” Alec asked, shocked.

“Well, I wasn’t a _hundred_ percent sure, but I had a fairly certain guess,” she said. “As to how, well it really wasn’t hard. What with Magnus’s constant stares and flirtatious comments, and you, Alec, turning red as a tomato whenever he was around, it wasn’t exactly difficult to piece together, at least not for me.”

Alec mentally slapped himself. How was it that most everyone knew before he said anything? Was he really that obvious? He had really thought he had done a good job of hiding it. Apparently not.

“Well, you too have fun,” she said before disappearing in the crowd. The music switched to a faster tempo as a new, yet widely popular band that Alec still had yet to learn the name of, took the stage. The crowd cheered when the lead singer came in.

Magnus steered Alec from the crowds before leaning in to place a quick kiss on his lips. “How about I get you a drink and you wait for me outside in the courtyard,” Magnus suggested.

Alec nodded and Magnus gave him one last smile before turning away and making his way to the drinks. Alec smiled to himself before steering himself through the crowd, towards the exit to the courtyard.

 

*         *        *

 

As Alec fought his way through the mass of people, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He spun around to see Raphael Santiago, one of the last people he expected to encounter tonight, or ever. He made a jester to follow him to the side of the room and Alec followed, curious as to what the fourth year would want.

When they reached a spot where they could easily hear each other, Alec asked, “What do you want?”

“To warn you,” he replied simply.

That was a surprise. _Why would Raphael want to do that?_ Alec wondered. They had never spoken to each other before today. And what could Alec need a warning from?

“What? What do you mean ‘warn me’?” Alec asked.

“You’re dating Magnus, right?”

Alec’s mind immediately went to defense mode. “Yeah, so? What’s it to you?”

“To me, nothing. But it’s not me you should be worried about. It’s Camille,” Raphael answered.

Alec’s blood turned cold. “And why should I worry about her?” he asked, trying to seem confident although he felt extremely worried.

“Look. You know she and Magnus dated…” he began.

“Yeah, but they broke up. She’s with Jean now, right?” Alec interrupted.

“Don’t let that fool you. She still sees Magnus as hers. And now, she sees you dating him as taking him from her.”

“But that’s ridiculous! They’re not even dating! And she has been fine with every other person Magnus dated,” Alec argued.

“But Magnus has never been as serious about someone before you, not even Camille. Before, they were all just fazes to her, and Magnus always returned to her. The amount of times they have broken up and gotten back together is too many to count. Even when they are not together, she thinks Magnus as her’s.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Alec questioned.

“Because, you need to watch your back. Camille doesn’t like you, and she doesn’t like Magnus’s and your relationship. She thinks you stool him, and, no matter what not-caring image she projects, she will do anything to get him back. She will do anything to get rid of _you_.”

“I still don’t get why you are telling me this. Isn’t she your _friend_?”

“Ever heard the saying ‘keep your friends close, but your enemies closer’? And, while I don’t see her as an _enemy_ , I do know her true nature, and I get close to prevent myself from being in your situation. You don’t want to be on the opposite end of her anger. It’s quite a nasty result. I do, however, consider myself to be somewhat friends with Magnus, and you seem to be a good influence on him. So I am warning you for him. Remember, Lightwood; watch your back. She’ll strike when you least expect it.”

Without another word, he turned and vanished into the crowd, leaving Alec frozen in a state of shock. What Raphael said couldn’t be true, could it? But Alec knew better than to put it past Camille.

Great. Just when everything seemed to be going well, Camille had to ruin it for him. But what could she do? There was no way she could ruin their relationship, could she?

Alec shook his head and walked outside. He sat down on the edge of a fountain that was currently off and he tried to push down his troubled thoughts as he waited for Magnus.


	12. Chapter 12

_Magnus POV_

Magnus didn’t seem capable of wiping the smile off of his face as he walked out to the courtyard, two cups of hot chocolate in his hands. Alec was amazing. Magnus would have been fine with just _going_ to the Yule Ball with Alec. But then, when Alec asked to dance with him, he couldn’t have been more happy, and surprised. He never thought Alec would come out so soon, much less in front of the majority of the school, as well as in front of the visiting students. But there he was, pulling Magnus into the sea of dancing couples. Magnus marveled at how brave and just _wonderful_ his boyfriend was, and he couldn’t be more proud of him. The night was already a dream.

But then, Alec had kissed him. Right there. In the middle of the crowd. Alec kissed him, proving to anyone and everyone that he was happy with who he was, and with who he was with. If there was a moment when Magnus had loved anyone, it was then, even if he wouldn’t admit to anyone anytime soon. Because, honestly, it scared him how fast and how hard he had fallen for Alec, when he had never felt this way before, and he didn’t want to fall all the way before knowing that there would be someone to catch him when he did. But for now, he felt overjoyed, and nothing, nor anyone, was going to take that from him.

He spotted Alec immediately, over by the fountain, and he felt his smile widen. Alec looked especially stunning that evening, and Magnus didn’t know it was possible for him to be more breath-taking. He was in blue dress robe that brought out his eyes, emphasizing the many shades of blue and the contrast between the light and dark tones. When they were dancing, Magnus felt as if he could drown in those eyes that he loved so much, eyes that he would be content with staring into for the rest of his life.

And there Alec was, sitting in front of him, as beautiful, if not more than, the winter scene around him. It wasn’t snowing that night, but it had the night before, and the ground and the winter plants were covered in a light frost, the green of the leaves peaking through the white ice. There was not a cloud in the sky, the stars were especially bright, scattered across the raven sky, and the moon was in a crescent, a glowing “C” in the sky. But Magnus barely paid any mind to his surroundings as he walked towards Alec.

“Your drink, darling,” Magnus said as he neared his boyfriend, offering one of the cups to him.

Alec jump slightly, surprised, and turned his head up, and Magnus grinned at the response. _He’s just too cute_ , he thought to himself, chuckling softly.

“Oh! Yes, thanks,” Alec said softly, but there was something else in his tone that Magnus couldn’t quite put his finger on. He dismissed it quickly enough; _it’s probably nothing_ , he decided. Alec took the cup and Magnus sat down happily next to him, with his own cup in his hand, heat steaming off the top from the hot drink. Magnus leaned slightly against Alec, taking the unneeded but much appreciated comfort of the presence.

They sat there, sipping their drinks, in a comfortable silence for a few moments, enjoying each other’s company. Magnus noticed a ginger guinea pig in the grass, but he didn’t pay much attention to it for there seemed to be something bothering Alec. He wouldn’t look at Magnus, but instead stared ahead, his eyes slightly unfocused, suggesting he was lost in thought, and his hands were shaking ever so slightly. It was barely noticeable, so slight that a stranger wouldn’t pick it up, but Magnus did, and from the small tremble he suspected one thing: nerves.

“Alec, are you alright?” Magnus asked.

“What?! No- I mean, yes, I’m fine,” Alec said looking up, his eyes locking with Magnus’s. “Why?” he asked quickly.

“You just seem nervous,” Magnus said. “…a little more that the adorable usual,” he added.

Alec blushed at the side comment, but he was still clearly nervous. He looked away from Magnus, refusing to meet his eyes. But Magnus wasn’t having any of it. He reached his hand out and lightly turned Alec’s face towards him again.

“Alexander,” he began. “Please tell me what’s wrong.”

Alec looked down. “It’s nothing, really. I mean, it’s just-no, it’s nothing. It’s not important…”

But Magnus didn’t need to hear anything else. It clicked in his mind. Alec was probably nervous and in shock of how bold he had been in the dance. And how could he not be? He had just come out to the whole school (well, for the most part anyways; this stuff travels fast throughout the school anyways, so no doubt the younger students would know of this as well within a day or two after the break); he was probably still a little worried of what people might think or say or even do. Just an hour ago, Alec wouldn’t have even considered something so forward, so soon, but that was all forgotten in the heat of the moment. He probably was shocked that he had even done that.

Magnus put his cup aside and did the same with Alec’s. He wrapped Alec up in his arms, resting his chin on the top of Alec’s head, which was pressed against Magnus’s chest.

“Its okay, Alec; you don’t have to explain. I understand,” Magnus told him softly.

Alec pulled back from Magnus and looked into Magnus’s eyes. “You…you do?” he asked, surprised.

“Of course,” Magnus said, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “You’re a little shocked about how you came out in the Great Hall. You are worried about what people might think or say about you.”

Alec was looking off to the side, his hair covering his eyes, his face tilted down. As if finally comprehending what Magnus had said, he looked up and said, “Y-Yes! That’s it…” he trailed off, his tone holding a faint, unconvincing note, so faint, Magnus wondered if he had imagined it. “It’s all been a little too much to handle,” Alec said, convincing Magnus that, yes, this was all that was bothering his boyfriend.

“Well, then, don’t you worry your pretty little head,” Magnus said, his smile coming back. “No one was paying attention, and even if they were,” Magnus kissed Alec’s forehead. “…they didn’t care. And… even if they did,” he kissed Alec on the tip of his nose. “…I don’t care. Because there is nothing they can do to take you away from me or change the way I feel about you. It’s their problem, and I don’t care what they think. _You_ are all that matters to me, and if they don’t like it, they can go screw themselves. And,” Magnus paused for a moment, his voice serious. “…if anyone ever tries to hurt you because of this, I will be there to stop them.”

Alec was staring at Magnus, a surprised look in his eyes, his mouth slightly open in shock, and Magnus didn’t blame him. He knew what he said was a lot, but it was all true, and he couldn’t help himself. He wanted Alec to feel better, for Alec to know that he would do anything for him.

“Really?” Alec asked softly, his eyes wide. Magnus tried not to get too lost in the sea of blue in front of him.

“Really,” he answered, pouring as much meaning as he could into those few words. “Would I lie to you?”

Alec smiled and shook his head, before pressing his soft lips to Magnus’s. Magnus breathed him in, trailing his hands to Alec’s hips. He smiled into the kiss; Alec’s lips were sweet from the hot chocolate and his breath was warm.

Alec broke off the kiss first. “Thank you,” he whispered softly, before kissing Magnus again.

Magnus hummed happily to himself, but didn’t let the kiss last long. He jumped up to his feet, holding his hand out to Alec.

“Dance with me?”

“What? Here?” Alec asked. “But there’s no music.” Magnus knew he was trying to get out of it.

Magnus thought that through. “Hmm, you’re right.” he smirked, pulling Alec to his feet. “I guess that means we’ll just have to go inside.”

Alec shook his head quickly. “But, Magnus, I-I don’t dance. I _can’t_ dance.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Magnus countered, waving off the excuse. “You were doing well enough earlier.”

“But that was a slow dance; it’s not that hard to do. _And_ we were barely moving. But, in there, they are dancing to something more upbeat, moving in the way I never could.” He turned his head down.

“It doesn’t hurt to try,” Magnus suggested. “Please, for me?” he asked, pouting for effect.

When Alec remained stubborn, Magnus kissed him on the lips before letting his mouth wander to the side of Alec’s face. “Please,” he whispered over and over as he moved along Alec’s cheekbone. He felt Magnus shudder and he grinned, knowing he was winning.

“Fine,” Alec muttered reluctantly.

Magnus pulled back smiling. “I know,” he said, winking.

Alec rolled his eyes. “I hate you.”

Magnus leaned in to kiss him, pausing just before their lips touched and he opened his eyes to see Alec’s eyes closed. “Hmmm… No you don’t,” he decided, leaning back.

Alec snapped his eyes open to glare at Magnus. “Let’s just go inside.

“If you insist,” he replied. He grabbed Alec’s hand and pulled him inside before he could say anything else.

When they walked in to the room, they were immediately faced with blaring pop-rock music and dancing bodies. Some were just swaying to the beat while others were twirling around their partners and laughing. There were people standing to the side, glaring at the crowd with their arms crossed. Others were walking out of the room, searching for a more private location.

Magnus dragged a reluctant Alec to the middle of the crowd. He let the music take over his body while Alec swayed awkwardly and looked from side to side.

Magnus smiled and nudged Alec a little. “Loosen up, dear. Relax.” He placed his hands on Alec’s hips and started to guide him. Magnus felt his smile widen as he saw Alec become more comfortable.

All of a sudden, the song changed to something a little more upbeat. As some of the students started to bounce up and sown, Magnus grabbed Alec’s hand and sent him in a tight, fast spin. He laughed when he saw Alec’s dizzy expression. Alec tried to glare at him, but his lips quirked up and he started to laugh as well.

“Alec!” a voice called suddenly.

Izzy came into view, a smile on her face. She smiled at Magnus before turning her attention to Alec.

“Dance with me,” she said.

“Izzy! Why?” Alec asked.

“Because I want to dance with my brother,” she answered. “Don’t tell me you won’t dance with your darling sister.” She gave him puppy-dog eyes and pouted her lips, much like Magnus had and Magnus knew Alec would give in.

Alec turned to Magnus with a look that said ‘I’m sorry’ and Magnus chuckled.

“Its fine, Alec. Go dance with you sister. I have been a little too selfish with you,” Magnus said. “Not that I’m ashamed of it,” he added with a wink.

Izzy smiled, grabbed Alec’s wrist and pulled him away from Magnus, deeper into the sea of people.

Magnus watched them go before drifting to the side, where he stood by an empty table. He watched as familiar faces danced in and out of few. He saw Clary laughing as Simon twirled her, his voice adding to the laughter, the two still smiling when Jace took Clary’s hand and sent a quick but not serious glare at Simon, who put his hands up, still laughing. He spotted Aline and Helen, dancing together, looking as cute as ever. Alec and Izzy could be seen every now and then, like now. Alec was spinning his sister, even though it looked like she was doing all the work. When Alec saw Magnus, he smiled at him and Magnus returned the smile, before Izzy dragged him out of view again.

Suddenly Magnus’s view was obscured by a very familiar face, blonde curls, and green eyes. Magnus glared at her.

“Hey Mags,” she said flirtatiously.

“Camille,” Magnus replied with an indifferent tone. He crossed his arms and glared at her. “What do you want?”

“To see you of course,” she answered. “I’ve missed you,” she added, placing a hand on his arm.

“Huh. Really? Could have fooled me, especially with that last outburst,” he said coldly.

“You didn’t think I meant any of that, did you Mags?” she asked. Her voice had a sweet tone to it, but Magnus wasn’t falling for it. He knew that voice. It was the voice she used to get she wanted, to lull her pray into a false sense of security. It was all an act, it meant nothing. “I still like you, Mags.”

“What happened to Jean?” Magnus questioned.

“Oh, he was nothing,” she answered. “I think he went off to dance with some random girl when I broke up with him.” And sure enough, Magnus spotter said champion dancing with a girl with brown hair and brown eyes. She looked familiar. What was her name? Emily? Eve? Oh, that’s right: Eva. She was a fourth year in Gryffindor that Magnus only knew because Raphael had a thing for her. It was quite annoying, really, having to listen to him go on about a girl who clearly didn’t want him. Her dancing with Jean was proof enough.

“Not that he seemed to mind,” Camille added, bringing back Magnus’s attention. “But I don’t care. I want to be with you Mags.”

“I’m with Alexander, Camille,” he reminded her.

“Oh him,” she said, “he doesn’t matter. You can’t honestly tell me that he matters this much to you. He’s a nobody, out-shinned by his younger siblings. He doesn’t even look that good. I honestly can’t understand what you see in him. You could do so much better than him.”

“There is nobody better, Camille. If you really were my friend, you’d understand,” Magnus answered.

“Understand what? That he’s different. That he’s special. That…” she began.

“That I love him!” Magnus said, cutting her off.

Camille was shocked into silence, and Magnus was pretty surprised himself. What had he said that? Why? To shut her up? Prove her wrong? He hadn’t even been able to admit that to himself, and here he was, shouting it at Camille. But it felt true, every bit of it felt right.

“I love him,” Magnus said again, softly.

Camille shook her head. “You see, I know you. I have known you for years. And I _know_ you don’t mean that.”

“Then you clearly don’t know me.”

“ _And_ ,” she continued, as if Magnus had never said anything. “…even if you did mean it, he doesn’t love you, does he? That boy doesn’t feel the same way. So what’s the point of chasing him? Why not go for someone you love who loves you in return.”

“Who? _You?_ You care for no one but yourself,” Magnus said, disgusted. “And I couldn’t love someone like that. We might have dated before, but it meant nothing. We were friends, but even that is fading away. We are far from ‘love’.” He turned his head away from her.

Camille let out a frustrated sigh, but Magnus didn’t turn his head back.

“Fine then,” she said suddenly. “We’ll see about that.” And before Magnus could register those words in his brain, he felt his head being turned and lips being pressed against him.

On pure instinct, he felt himself kiss back, his hand grabbing onto her. But it felt wrong. Why did it feel o wrong? He was kissing Camille, something he had done countless times before, something that used to feel right. But it was different this time. Magnus felt nothing, no passion or happiness, only confusion and sudden anger.

He knew why it was wrong now. Alec. _Alec_ was the one he should be kissing, not Camille. _What am I doing?_ Magnus asked himself. Suddenly his body felt cold, and, without another second, he pushed her off of him.

“What are you doing?!” Magnus asked, frustrated, his voice filled with anger. He glared down at Camille, who had a smug look on her face.

“Just showing you how much you still care for me,” she said wickedly.

“You’re disgusting. You KNOW I’m dating Alec.”

“Yeah, about that,” she said in mock concern, looking over Magnus’s shoulder. “I don’t think that’s the case anymore.”

Magnus spun around, just in time to see a head of black in blue robes nearing the exit of the Great Hall. Without a second thought, he moved to follow him, before feeling a hand on his wrist, spinning him back around. His eyes met green ones. Eyes that used to be beautiful. Eyes that he now hated. Green. Huh, funny how her eyes matched her perfectly: beautiful but filled with envy.

He glared at where she was grabbing him. “Let. Go. Of. Me.” He threatened, pulling his hand out of her grasp.

“You can’t seriously be thinking of following him,” Camille said, disbelieving. “Stay here, with me.”

“Don’t you dare tell me what to do,” Magnus snarled. “You are a bitch, a cold-hearted bitch. And you possibly just ruined the best relationship of my life.”

“What do you want me to say? That I’m sorry? Cause I’m not. It was never going to work anyways. You and I on the other hand, we had a chance.”

“Just stop. Shut up and leave me. Never talk to me or look at me again. I can’t stand you anymore.” When she didn’t leave, he added, “GO! I am through with you. You sicken me. LEAVE!”

She finally turned around and left at that, and Magnus glared at her, before turning around. He ran towards the door. He _had_ to find Alec. He had to explain, to apologize. He knew he just ruined everything. And it had been such a perfect night. Leave it to Camille to tear it all apart.

He ran out into the Hall, but there was no sight of Alec. He called Alec’s name, but it was in vain. No one answered. He didn’t know the way to the Ravenclaw Tower, and he probably wouldn’t be able to answer correctly at the moment. He couldn’t think straight. He was overwhelmed with emotions; hatred towards Camille, towards himself, regret, loss, longing, and the need to see Alec. But he didn’t know what to do.

He punched the wall and let out a shout before falling to the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys don't hate me too much after that.
> 
> But don't worry.
> 
> This might not be the only thing up my sleeve.
> 
> Hehe
> 
>  
> 
> I love this story :)


	13. Chapter 13

_Alec POV_

Alec ran through the corridors and up several flights of stairs, vision blurry, and the sound of his pounding heart muting the echoes of the music and chatter from the Great Hall. He pushed himself forward, each step echoing off the walls, taking him further from happy faces, further from a soon to be concerned and raging sister, increasing the distance between Alec’s shattered heart and the cause of its down-fall.

_Magnus_.

The mere thought of his name sent piercing daggers to his heart as the scene in the hall replayed itself in Alec’s brain. He angrily pushed the memory away. He would not think of that, he _could_ not. He would not let himself fall apart, at least not until he reached the safety of the empty Ravenclaw Tower.

When he reached the entrance, he realized he couldn’t think straight, especially not enough to answer whatever riddle there was today. But he had to try. He couldn’t wait out here until others came back from the party to find him sitting on the floor, with-

_No_ , he told himself firmly. _That won’t happen_. He forced back his ever so threatening tears and stared at the eagle knocker.

“What Am I?” it began, before continuing. “I'm sometimes white but always wrong.   
I can break a heart and hurt the strong.   
I can build love and tear it down.   
I can make a smile but more often a frown.

What Am I?”

Alec gave the knocker a hard look, but he didn’t even need to think the riddle through before responding.

“A lie,” he answered, biting back the resurfacing tears. _Just a few more seconds_ , he told himself.

And sure enough, he answered correctly.

The door opened, and Alec entered a room of blue and bronze. He didn’t waste a second taking in the familiar surroundings, however, as he ran up the stairs till he reached his thankfully empty dorm. The door shut behind him and he slid down to the floor against it. He let the memories flood over him and finally let go.

_He let himself be dragged away from Magnus by Izzy. He knew he wouldn’t get out of this, so what was the point of resisting?_

_He danced with Izzy for three songs. It all went by in a blur, a blur in which he realized that he actually wasn’t too bad of a dancer. He didn’t remember much, other than the one moment where he danced by Magnus, smiled at him, and received a smile in return before being dragged back into the crowd by a smiling Izzy. He loved seeing Izzy so happy, and it made him smile too. Everything about this night was great._

_It was not to long after that that the third song ended. Izzy finally let him go, and he walked through the dancing bodies, looking for Magnus. There were so many people there, and Alec spotted a few people he recognized. Aline and Helen were now heading off to the courtyard, hand in hand, and he also saw the Beauxbaton champion dancing with a girl with brown hair that Alec didn’t know the name of. He wondered where Camille was, seeing as she wasn’t with Jean. He couldn’t help but feel at least a little happy at the fact that Magnus’s ex wasn’t having that great of the night, or maybe even that Jean broke up with her. He knew he shouldn’t think that way, seeing as Camille had never done anything to him specifically, besides dating Magnus, but it wasn’t her fault for not knowing how he felt. Alec wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t even know he existed before this year. But still, he heard of some of the rumors about what she did before to other people, not to mention, he did know she did_ something _to Magnus, seeing as he was no longer friends with her, so he didn’t feel guilty for finding pleasure at her small misfortune._

_Alec shook his head. He didn’t need to think about her anymore. She didn’t matter-_

_Alec stopped where he was, looking at the other side of the room at a sight he never expected to see today._

_There she was, wearing a red dress with her blond curls falling behind her. Camille._

_But it wasn’t Camille that caught Alec’s attention. It was the Slytherin that she was standing_ way _to close too. His face was turned away, but Alec knew who it was. No one else would ever be brave enough to wear such bold fashion choices. It was Magnus._

_Alec barely had any time to take anything in before he saw Camille turn Magnus’s head and lean forward and…_

_Kiss him._

_She kissed him._

_And as Alec watched, he saw Magnus place his hands on her. But he didn’t push her away. He didn’t push her off like Alec expected. He was kissing back, and it was like the world slowed down around Alec. Everyone around him faded away, except for Magnus and Camille. He couldn’t hear anything except the pounding of his heart._

_It had only been a second, but Alec couldn’t take it. He couldn’t stay there. He couldn’t stand to watch his boyfriend kissing someone else. Almost as soon as it had begun, he turned around and ran. He ran through the crowd of people, heading for the door. He felt his eyes tear up but he didn’t let any fall. He pushed his tears back; he couldn’t let anyone see him cry. It was a Lightwood family thing: Lightwoods don’t cry, and if you do, you don’t let anyone see. Crying showed weakness, and Lightwoods should not, could not, look weak._

_As he ran, he ignored the faces around him. He didn’t see anything but the door ahead of him. He didn’t ever see Magnus push Camille off of him, nor did he hear anything he said to her. He didn’t notice Tessa’s confused look. When he finally left the Great Hall, and when he had already ran down a few corridors, he didn’t hear his name being called desperately. He just kept running and running, not daring to look back, stop, or turn around._

Now he was finally in his room, finally alone. But somehow, he felt worse. Thinking about it all, replaying it again and again, was doing nothing for him. And to make it worse, he couldn’t stop thinking about everything from earlier that night, dancing with Magnus, coming out to the school, kissing him, except now the memories were bitter-sweet. One memory kept coming into his mind: Raphael’s warning. God, how he wished he had listened to him.

For once, Alec thought he mattered. For once he had something to look back on and be happy about when he thought about his time at Hogwarts. The year had looked so promising. Before, Alec couldn’t wait to get out of there. He only had Jace, who would be out of school as well in a few years, and if Alec wanted to see him before then, he could meet him at Diagon Alley over the summer. Magnus had made him happier at Hogwarts, gave him something else to remember the school by. _And to think I_ actually _thought he cared about me_ , Alec thought bitterly.

Of course he didn’t care. Why would he? Who would care about plain, boring, old Alec? Alec, the only Lightwood who didn’t make it in Gryffindor, who didn’t live up to the family name. Alec Lightwood, out-shinned by his siblings and who wasn’t even good enough to be the top of his class. He wasn’t brave enough to be in Gryffindor, nor was he the smartest Ravenclaw, and he wasn’t memorable enough to be noticed by the people in his own grade. He wasn’t even all that attractive. Alec was convinced of all of this. He wondered why Magnus had even liked him in the first place.

_But he didn’t like you, did he?_ He asked himself. He was just using you. It was probably all just a game to him. A fun experiment. Or maybe even a way to make Camille jealous. Alec was just being toyed with. Everything Magnus told him, everything he did, all the feelings he evoked, it was all an act. A stupid act Alec had willingly and stupidly fell for.

Alec heard a soft knock at the door, but he ignored it, hoping that whoever it was would just go away and leave him to wallow in self pity.

But a minute later, the person knocked again. “Alec?” called a soft voice.

It was Tessa.

“Alec, please open this door.”

Alec sighed and stood up. He placed a hand on the doorknob and paused for a moment, before opening the door.

Upon seeing Alec in his post-heartbreak state, Tessa’s face softened to deep concern. “Oh, Alec,” she said before taking Alec in her arms.

Alec stood frozen for a second before hugging her back. He let a few tears fall down his face and Tessa hugged him tighter. Alec didn’t realize how much he had needed this. It was the type of thing Izzy would have done for him. Alec was surprised at how close they had become, but he didn’t spend too much time thinking about it. He was thankful for her, thankful for someone who he knew cared about him, someone else to turn to, someone who would be there when he needed them, and someone besides Jace or Izzy, who couldn’t be there in situations like this, when Alec was hiding out in his dorm. He let himself draw comfort from the presence of his friend.

Tessa guided him to sit on the edge of the nearest bed before separating from him. She looked at him and locked their gazes. “What happened?” she asked him, her eyes full of concern and sympathy.

Alec looked away from her. “Shouldn’t you be at the ball?” he asked her.

“I don’t have any reason to stay,” she began. “I didn’t have a date, and to be completely honest, it just isn’t my type of thing. I was planning on leaving to go finish my book anyways. And,” she said, slowing her pace and softening her voice, “I noticed your quick dash out of the Great Hall.”

Looking at those gray eyes, Alec couldn’t help but let everything out. He didn’t hold back anything, from Raphael’s warning to running from the Great Hall. As hard as it was to relive the emotions, it felt good let it out, to have someone to confide in.

As he told his story (to which Tessa listened intently), his sadness turned to anger. He hated this feeling. He hated what Magnus did to him, how he toyed with him, made him feel special for once, only to tear it all apart in the blink of an eye. But no matter what, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get himself to hate _Magnus_.  He hated what he did, but he couldn’t hate him. His previous feelings for him over-powered his hurt. He would ever admit it to anyone, not even himself, but he was afraid that he had started to love Magnus. _Not that it matters_ , Alec thought to himself sadly, _considering the other party doesn’t return these feelings._

Even though he couldn’t hate Magnus, he sure could hate Camille. And hate her he did. He hated her for taking Magnus from him. He hated her for stealing Magnus’s heart. He hated her for taking him back on this very night, for kissing him at the Yule Ball. And after Alec had came out to the school, after she _knew_ they were dating. And he hated her for being the one that Magnus actually cared for, the one he actually loved. And why wouldn’t he? She was perfect. Sure, she could be a cold-hearted she-devil (all the more reason to hate her), but she was beautiful, confident, put-together, and kind and protective over those that cared for her, such as Magnus. And Alec hated her for that as well. Not to mention she was in the same house as Magnus, so they clearly had similar traits. They were practically the perfect match.

Alec hated it.

But most of all, he hated himself. How could he have been so stupid? He had let himself fall way to deep with Magnus, and didn’t pay enough mind to any warning that came his way. He hated himself for being so blind, for thinking that Magnus would actually like _him_. He would have saved himself so much pain and confusion if he just kept his feelings at bay rather than letting them control him. And he hated how he felt for Magnus. He hated his stupid broken heart and how it was so unable to hate was caused it to break, but instead for loving him. And he hated how he couldn’t just get over him.

As soon as Alec finished sharing the events of that night, Tessa gave him another quick hug before looking at him again. “Are you sure he was kissing her back?” she asked him. “And, you don’t know, he could have pushed her off after you left… You did say you were only there for a second or two, right?”

Alec shook his head. “No, he was definitely kissing back,” he replied sadly.

“Are you sure? I mean, maybe…”

“Please, Tessa, don’t try to make excuses.”

“But the thing is when I came to see you, I passed him sitting on the floor in the corridors, alone, and he didn’t look too good. But I was too concerned about you so I didn’t stop and barely registered his presence till I was already up two flights of stairs. But now I see that maybe…” She trailed off, before Alec interrupted.

“Please don’t get my hopes up, Tess, for they can fall just as easily,” Alec replied, turning away from her.

“I know,” she said. “You’re right Alec. I just can’t believe that he would do something like that.”

“Neither can I,” Alec said, mostly to himself.

“I guess we don’t know him like we thought we did,” Tessa sighed. “I’m so sorry Alec,” she said, hugging him for the third time. “Is there anything you want me to do for you.”

“No, you don’t have to,” Alec replied. “Just-please don’t tell Izzy or Jace, or anyone who would tell them. They’re going to tear Magnus apart.”

“Oh, and you think I won’t do the same?”

“Tessa!”

“What? He can’t just get away with messing with you. You never did anything to deserve this.”

“It’s just…” Alec sighed. “Look, please don’t do anything to hurt him.” He struggled to find a believable excuse. “On the off chance that this was all just a big misunderstanding, I don’t want to push him away.”

Tessa studied him, a look full of disbelief on her face. In truth, Alec just couldn’t bear the thought of Magnus being in deep, physical pain. He cared for him, still.

Luckily, Tessa let it drop, probably deciding that the night had been difficult enough for Alec already. She shook her head and looked back up before saying, “Fine. Just don’t expect me to be all buddy-buddy with him. I won’t just stand by and let him dance over the pieces of your heart.”

“Thank you,” Alec said.

Tessa stayed with Alec for a while, just comforting him and helping him get his mind off of Magnus. When they heard other students walking up the stairs, Tessa and Alec bid their goodnights and Tessa went to her dorm, leaving Alec to dress for bed and go to sleep. He practically ripped the clothes off his body, not wanting anything left to remind him of that night. He threw on a pair of boxer shorts and a T-shirt before flopping onto his bed.

His fellow roommates walked in and moved around the room, chatting happily and going about their own business, but Alec didn’t pay any attention to them. He pretended he was asleep, even though he did catch his name a few times, as well as Magnus’s. He groaned in his mind. Of course, he knew what they were discussing. Now they all knew he was gay. Alec kept his eyes firmly shut, not wanting to deal with any conversations about it, or any judging looks that he still expected to get. No, he would deal with that another time. He didn’t have the energy for it tonight.

Finally, the conversations ended, the movement stopped, and the lights were turned off. But with the darkness came the memories again. However, now his eyes remained dry. The pain was still fresh, but he couldn’t find it in him to cry. He would not shed a tear over someone who didn’t care about him, over someone who used him. He never felt the same way. There was no point in feeling sad about something that was never real. Nor could he let Magnus ever find out how much this affected him. He would not give Magnus the satisfaction. And even if he did care at a time, he didn’t anymore, and at least Alec could make it seem like he didn’t really like Magnus that much either. No, Magnus would not get the reaction he expected, the reaction he maybe wanted. Alec would have to seem unaffected, and seeming to be so was one step closer to being unaffected. It was a step towards getting over Magnus, and that was what Alec really needed at that moment: to move on. And he should. This was just the first relationship, and Magnus was just one guy. There would be others to come, others that returned Alec’s feelings. Alec was sure of it.

Alec told himself this over and over till he, not erased or decreased, but numbed the pain, at least for a little while. He knew it would take a while to get over him, but he knew the feelings for him would never go away. But he would not let himself get too emotional over it.

It was with that decision that Alec finally let his mind drift off into a restless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, okay, I'll be considerate you your requests.  
> The more comments I get, the sooner I'll get Malec back together.  
> It's all up to you.
> 
> Have a great Halloween guys :)


	14. Chapter 14

_Magnus POV_

The rest of Christmas break was miserable. Between searching for Alec, who Magnus had no doubt was avoiding him, and reasonably so, and planning ways to get Camille back for this, Magnus wallowed in self-pity and hate.

As much as he hated Camille and wanted to blame her for everything, he knew he couldn’t. He _knew_. He knew this was also his fault. He should have never let it happen. He should have pushed her off as soon as she kissed him. Why didn’t he do that? Why did he kiss her back? Why, when he had Alec? _Well,_ had _being the key word_ , Magnus reminded himself bitterly. He should have pushed her off right away. No, she shouldn’t have even been able to kiss him in the first place. He shouldn’t have let her get so close to him in the first place. He should have left her as soon as she started talking. But he didn’t, and he hated himself for that, for it cost him Alec.

But don’t get him wrong, he didn’t blame himself _entirely_. The best moments were when he pushed all of his anger and hatred and blame on _her_. Why couldn’t she get it through that thick skull of hers that they were over? Not that she even bothered trying to get back with Magnus after the Yule Ball. Either she knew Magnus would never go for it or she never actually cared, that she just wanted to end Magnus and Alec’s relationship. Magnus convinced himself that it was the later of the two, even though the first was more likely, because it just made it all the more easier for him to hate her. She would pay for this, Magnus promised himself that, but not just yet. Now, he had to find Alec and apologize, do anything and everything to fix this. If Alec forgave him, then the two could take their revenge together; if not, well, all the more reason to go for the claws to come out.

Speaking of Alec, Magnus had not been able to talk to him once over the last few days. The first few after the Yule Ball, he didn’t even see him; not in the Great Hall during meals nor anywhere in the castle or on the grounds. Magnus decided that Alec was probably taking food from the kitchens, seeing as he had started waking up really early to wait in the Great Hall, hoping Alec would walk through the doors, but he never did.

In the days following the first few, he finally spotted him. He was eating at the Gryffindor table on that Thursday morning, talking to Jace and Izzy as if nothing had happened, pointedly avoiding looking at the Slytherin of Ravenclaw tables. And though he wasn’t looking at Magnus, that didn’t stop Izzy and Jace from sending death stares his way. Magnus knew they were planning on cornering him, but he was surprised that it hadn’t happened earlier. Maybe Alec had told them not to? That was good right? Maybe Alec didn’t hate him and there was a chance. Magnus could only hope.

But when Magnus tried to talk to him after breakfast, he quickly headed in the other direction, not bothering to stop or look at Magnus. Magnus’s heart dropped at that.

The event kept repeating itself too; whenever he tried to talk to Alec, no matter where they were, or when, Alec would walk away, ignoring him, walking right by him acting as if Magnus didn’t even exist. And as much as it hurt him, Magnus didn’t blame Alec for it.

Magnus couldn’t forget that night. His mind replayed Alec’s form running out of the Great Hall, and how he followed, only to be met with empty halls, no way to go, and no response to his calls.

_As he slid to the floor, the last person he expected to see had walked out of the Yule Ball. Red hair and blue eyes came into view._

_Viria Karsten, the Durmstrang champion._

_She spotted Magnus and looked down at him, confused._

_“Vot’s wrong? Vare is your boyfriend?”_

_Magnus just shook her head and didn’t look at her._

_He noticed that she knelt down next to him. He felt her eyes boring into him, forcing him to look up at her._

_“Did something happen?” she asked._

_“Nothing,” he said. He didn’t want to share it with her, considering that he doubted she even knew his name. “I don’t feel like talking about it.”_

_An awkward silence fell between them, but neither seemed to mind. Viria remained next to him._

_Finally, Magnus spoke up. “What about you, shouldn’t you be at the Ball? “_

_She shook her head. “I don’t like parties. I don’t like the crowds. And I really don’t like all the attention I get ven I’m in there, or ever really.”_

_“So why did you put your name in for the Triwizard Tournament, if you don’t like attention?”_

_“Oh, my friends forced me on the trip and then put my name in the cup. I vos originally going to avoid putting my name, and I did, only to find that they had put my name in. They seemed to think I was could vin,” she said, before saying so softly that Magnus almost imagined he had heard it, “using my ability to vin it for the school.” But she quickly covered it up with “but I guess they veren’t completely vrong. I mean, here I am, school champion,” she said sarcastically. “So now I have to deal with all the reporters and all these expectations, ven all I vont is to shrink away from it all and hide and be alone. I didn’t even vont to find a date to this stupid ball.” She looked up at the ceiling, before shouting, “you know, there are some people out there vu don’t vont or need love!” She leaned her head on the wall. “Now look at me; venting my problems to a stranger.”She turned to look at Magnus._

_He was stunned into silence. However, before he could say anything to that, she stood back up and walked away, still not knowing the name of her momentary companion._

_Magnus watched her go, confused. She was one complicated being; one who Magnus thought had some issues she needed to work out._

_After a few moments he stood up and walked to the Slytherin common room, seeing as he had nothing better to do, with the night in as much of a mess as it was._

Magnus shook that memory out of his mind. He had more pressing matters to worry about at the moment without wasting moments on her.

It was the last day of the break when Magnus sat down at the Ravenclaw table, across from Tessa, for the first time since the Yule Ball. He had been avoiding sitting there, knowing he would only receive daggers when met with Tessa’s piercing gaze. But he couldn’t wait any longer. He needed to talk to someone, anyone, who could help him talk to Alec. He would have gone to Izzy or Jace, seeing as they were closest to him, if he didn’t think they would cut off his neck _before_ they permitted him to speak. But if Tessa didn’t comply, he knew he would be one step closer to confronting them.

“Tessa,” Magnus said cautiously as he sat down.

She ignored him. That or she didn’t hear him. Either way, she kept her head down, eyes focused on her book, her hair falling around her face, acting as a wall between her and Magnus.

“Tessa…” he said again. When she didn’t respond, yet again, he said “Tessa, please talk to me.”

She sighed, clearly annoyed, and looked  up from her book, glaring at Magnus the entire time. “Do you mind? I’m trying to read.” And she lowered he head again.

“Tess, please, I need your help.”

“Excuse me if I don’t help cheaters, especially not ones who broke the heart of my friend,” she replied, venom laced in every word she spoke.

“Tessa, just listen to me, please,” he begged. “The last few days have been hell for me.”

“Well that’s good, considering…”

“Just hear me out, please,” he interrupted.

Tessa considered him for a moment, her glare never subsiding. After a moment she closed her book and crossed her arms.

“Fine,” she said.

“Really?” Magnus asked. He didn’t think she would actually listen.

“Yes, but don’t make me regret it.”

Magnus took a deep breath. “I screwed up, Tess, I screwed up bad.”

“I know _that_ ,” she interjected. “Mind explaining your side of the story? Because I already heard Alec’s, and based on that, you could very well be wasting my time.”

Magnus wasn’t surprised at what she said, though it did sting a little. Of course Alec told her what happened. The question was how much Alec told her, and how much Alec had seen.

“Well, um, how much did he say?” Magnus asked.

“Oh, you know, not much, other than the fact of how you were kissing your _ex_ on the night he came out to the school.”

Magnus put his head in his hands. He imagined how it must have felt for Alec. He imagined his beautiful blue eyes filled with sadness and betrayal. Magnus hated how he was the cause of it.

“Any day now,” Tessa reminded Magnus.

“Right,” he replied, wondering how she could ever listen to what he had to say. He took another breath before he began:

“Well, we were inside, dancing, when Izzy came over and asked if her brother would dance with her. Well, _begged_ would be a better word, but Isabelle Lightwood isn’t one to beg. But it worked, and as she pulled Alec away, I went to stand off to the side. I watched everyone dancing, and I saw Alec once, smiling and laughing as he twirled Izzy. He was beautiful that night,” Magnus smiled slightly at the memory. “Not that he isn’t usually beautiful, he was just _radiant_ that evening. But that’s beside the point.” He shook his head; he couldn’t let himself get off track.

“It was then, as I stood there, that Camille came. He started talking about how she wanted to get back together with me, how Alec didn’t matter. She was being ridiculous, and I told her how it wouldn’t happen. I turned my head away from her, saying it was over, even though we already weren’t dating for months, and she said something, but I don’t remember exactly what. But it was right then when she turned my head and kissed me. And in pure instinct, I kissed her back, but it all felt wrong. I knew I shouldn’t be doing that, that I was with Alec, and I pushed her off right then. But the damage was done. I let her kiss me for too long. I kissed her back, when my instinct _should_ have been to push her off right away. I shouted at her, before I looked up and saw Alec leaving. I immediately moved to follow, before she grabbed my hand. I pulled out of her grip, while she tried to convince me to stay, but I told her to leave me alone, and said some things I don’t feel like repeating to you right now. I left, turning to follow Alec, but by the time I go out of the great Hall, he was gone. I called his name, but he didn’t answer, and I don’t know where the Ravenclaw common room so I couldn’t follow him. I couldn’t go apologize to him. I could only despise myself while I knew his heart must be breaking.”

Magnus dropped his head, his hair falling in his face. He hadn’t been spending as much time on his looks since that night. He just didn’t have the energy to.

“I ruined everything,” he continued. “If only I pushed her away right away. If only I pusher her away _before_ she kissed me.” He looked up at Tessa. Her eyes were filled with hatred, though Magnus could tell it wasn’t towards him. She glared at the Slytherin table before turning back to Magnus. Her features softened, and her eyes were filled with sadness and understanding.

“So, you didn’t try to hurt Alec,” she tested.

“No! I never would! I…” he paused. He wasn’t sure if he should finish that statement. But after a quick moment, he decided he should. Why not? He already told Camille, and he’d be damned if she didn’t tell _someone_ by now.

“I…I think I love him,” he told Tessa.

Her expression softened even more. “Well, then yes, you did screw up immensely. And I still don’t completely forgive you for what you did, but…” she began, pausing for a moment. “But, I’ll help you,” she decided.

Magnus perked up at that. He couldn’t believe his luck. Maybe he wouldn’t have to face Izzy and Jace’s wrath just yet.

As if reading his mind, Tessa interrupted his thoughts. “But,” she began. “You will probably still have to talk to Izzy or Jace at one point, seeing as they have been helping him avoid you. Not that I haven’t as well, but you only 1/3 on your side. But for now…” She began to put her book in her bag, seeing as most of the other students were leaving. “Go to the Quidditch field at 3:00. He usually goes there to read under the stands, where he knows no one will look. Just… don’t tell him I told you. Just try to talk to him, but don’t get your hopes up. He won’t be easily convinced, or trustworthy for that matter, at the moment.”  
She picked up her bag and left Magnus sitting at the table. He looked over at the Gryffindor table, only to have his small hopes crushed again seeing as Alec had already left. He sighed and got his stuff together before standing up and to leave Great Hall.

At least he might get to talk to him later that day.

 

*            *           *

 

Three o’clock couldn’t come fast enough. The minutes seemed to drag on for Magnus, seeing as he had nothing else to do. He ended up walking around the lake for a couple of hours before lunch, where he sat at the Slytherin table with Raphael. Tessa requested that he shouldn’t sit at the Ravenclaw table seeing as Jace, Alec, and Izzy might start to suspect something, and Magnus needed to make sure Alec didn’t have the slightest idea that he knew where he would be later that day. If he did, no doubt he would end up somewhere else, and Magnus would have another missed opportunity.

Finally, around 2:45, Magnus headed towards the Quidditch field. It was freezing cold out there, but Magnus barely noticed. Besides having a good tolerance for extreme temperatures, Magnus had one thing on his mind so he didn’t really notice much else.

When he reached the field, he looked at the many stands, realizing that he would have to look around most everyone if he didn’t luck out and find Alec on the first try. He sighed and picked up the pace. He didn’t mind the looking that much really; at least he knew Alec was here, rather than searching the whole school for someone who could very well be in his room. This way, he knew what lay at the end of the path; whether or not it was a good ending was what he was anxious to discover.

With his Slytherin scarf wrapped around his neck he began to search. He didn’t find Alec under the first few stands, as expected, but Magnus could help but feel a little upset every time he came up with no results, just emptiness.

As he searched, he remembered the first task, when he had almost kissed Alec for the first time. It seemed so long ago, even though it hadn’t even been two months yet. Everything had been so much better than, so simple. True, Alec had proved difficult to get close to, but it was better than this.

It was in the fifth stand, a Hufflepuff one, that Magnus finally found him. He was wearing his Ravenclaw hat and scarf, and he had a large, black winter jacket over his school robes. His checks were tinged with pink, and although he was practically bundled up from head to toe, Magnus still thought he was beautiful. It made the fact that he was hiding heartbreak behind those beautiful blue eyes all the more painful to accept.

He was reading a large book, complete lost in it, rubbing his hands together every now and then for extra heat. He didn’t notice Magnus there, and Magnus wouldn’t have minded if he could just watch him there for a while, no matter how stalker-like it might be. He had barely seen Alec over the past few days and he missed him. And he knew that the sooner he said something, the sooner Alec would pick up and leave again.

But he had to say something; he had to try to fix this. He had gone over what he would say countless times. He had imagined the countless scenarios as to how Alec would respond, and what to say or do if he responded negatively. Magnus was ready for this. At least, he was ready to try, to attempt to make Alec his again. The least he could hope for was that Alec would at least forgive him. But if not even that, then at least he knew he had tried. It was his fault anyways, and he didn’t deserve Alec, he was convinced of it. And in the case Alec didn’t forgive him, that he told him that they were done and that they wouldn’t be together again, Magnus would turn all his emotions into hatred and use it to get back at Camille.

Preparing for the worst, he took a breath a stepped forward into the light, where he said loud and clear, but filled with all the emotion he held in his heart:

“Alexander.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! I wrote another chapter for you :) I know its shorter than my last few, but that's because originally this was supposed to have an extra scene but I decided to end it where I did in order to switch pov's. But anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter :)
> 
> However, I will now most likely not have the next chapter for a while. I'll try really hard to write it next weekend, however, if I can't, I'm afraid it will have to wait until Thanksgiving break. My school production goes on next week, and the week of I have to stay after till 10 p.m. every day, so I'm going to be way behind on homework. And then that weekend I have the shows so, yeah, I'm pretty busy. But, if I can't update next week, I hope you are willing to wait a few extra weeks.
> 
> Anyways, here's the next chapter :)

_Alec POV_

“Alexander,” a familiar voice said, startling Alec to the point where he actually jumped at the sound. But he didn’t turn his head to look at the direction the voice had come from. There was no need to, Alec knew who it was. And that’s why he couldn’t turn his head.

“Alexander…” Magnus said again. “Please… could you just look at me?”

And, despite what his conscious was telling him, he did.

There he was, the one person Alec had been avoiding; the person who, for the first day or two, kept him from leaving the Ravenclaw Tower for anything other than food in the kitchens; the person who he refused to look at whenever they passed in the halls; the boy who had him rushing out of the Great Hall as soon as he wolfed down enough food to satisfy his hunger. There he was, standing in front of him in black jeans and a blue sweater under his school robes and a Slytherin scarf wrapped around his neck, but it wasn’t his clothes that caught Alec’s eye. It was the fact that he seemingly had no makeup on, nothing to cover the dark circles under his eyes, nothing to cover and put a glamorous distraction from his gloomy demeanor. His normally spiked up and dyed hair was disheveled, not a touch of color in sight.  It looked soft, like silk, and Alec had a brief longing to touch it, to run his fingers through it as he would have only a while ago, but the feeling was gone as soon as it had come. He couldn’t feel that way, he shouldn’t think about that, not when the other person didn’t return those feelings. But looking at Magnus now, even though to Alec he looked as beautiful as ever, the signs of despair and gloom were clear as day. Could it be that Alec was the cause of this? No. Why would he be? It’s not like he meant anything to him. So why did he look so sad?

_What is he even doing here?_ Alec wondered to himself. _How did he find me?_ Alec had only told Tessa, Izzy and Jace about this particular spot, not wanting too many people to know about it. So how did Magnus know? Did he, perhaps, accidently stumble across it, not even intending to find Alec there? No, that was highly improbable. He would have had to pick this particular stand, by chance, and walk around aimlessly to come across his little hiding spot. The chance of that happening was improbable. No, someone had to have told him, but who? And most importantly, why would Magnus be looking for him?

“How did you find me?” Alec asked, his voice soundly quieter then he intended. He kept his head down, refusing to look at Magnus in the eyes. He knew if he did, it would break him, and he didn’t know what he would see in them when he did.

“Well, it took a lot of time, but I had to search through a couple of the other stands…” Magnus began, before Alec interrupted.

“No, how did you know I would even be at the Quidditch pitch? Did someone tell you?”

Magnus opened his mouth and closed it before turning his head down. Alec knew the answer to his question. He closed his book and stood up slowly.

“ _Who_ told you, Magnus?” At this he looked Magnus in the eye, and was surprised to see those yellow-green irises so filled with sadness and desperation. It was too much to handle, but he had to get the answer to his question, and turning his head away was not the best approach. He had to appear demanding, so, rather than looking in the other direction, he settled for fixing his gaze on the bridge of Magnus’s nose.

Magnus looked like he was having a war with himself. “They… they asked me not to say.”

Alec crossed his arms. “Magnus…” he said, still not looking him in the eyes, even though his eyes stole quick glances every now and then. “Who. Told. You?”

Magnus sighed. “Damn those blue eyes,” he said so softly that Alec wasn’t sure he had heard him correctly. “It… it was Tess,” he said clearly.

Alec closed his eyes and let his head drop. He had not expected that. He thought maybe Izzy would be the one of the three, attempting to get them back together, although, truth be told, if Izzy had been the one Magnus confronted, he would have turned up in a much worse state than this. Why did Tessa tell him? She was the one who saw how heart-broken he was that night; she knew how hurt he was. Why would she trust him? True, Tessa was the closest to Magnus in the group, besides Alec, before that night, but Alec thought she would have been last to say anything. Maybe she, like Izzy, wanted to solve the problem, mend Alec’s heart. After all, she did have hope that it was all a misunderstanding. But still, Alec had trouble accepting that fact.

“If you’re wondering why she told me…” Magnus began, breaking through Alec’s cloud of thoughts. “I asked her to help me find you earlier today. At first she was reluctant to say anythi-”

“Wait, wait,” Alec cut him off. “Why were you even looking for me?”

Magnus looked at him as if he was crazy for even asking that question, even though his eyes held an understanding look to them. “To see you, of course. I needed to talk to you…”

“Why?” Alec couldn’t take it. “Don’t you have a girlfriend to keep you company?” he snapped, though he knew the sadness in his words was clear. He turned his head away from Magnus; he couldn’t look at him for another second.

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Camille and I… we’re not dating.”

“Yeah, sure, like I’d believe that. If you’re not dating, then why’d you kiss her at the Yule Ball? You know, when you _were_ dating me?” Alec responded, his tone sorrow, but his words still dripping with venom. “Yes Magnus, I saw you two. You know, you could have just told me you didn’t want to date me anymore.”

“Alec! That’s _not_ what I want!”

“Really? Huh, could’ve fooled me.”

“Alec, please, just listen. Camille, she’s a bitch. At the Yule Ball, she started talking to me…”

“I don’t care what she did! You kissed her!” Alec practically shouted at him. He felt his face turn red, but he didn’t really care anymore.

“ _She_ kissed _me_!”

“You kissed her back!” Alec snapped. “And don’t say you didn’t. I was there. I saw it.”

“Yes, I know I did. But please, Alec, just let me explain…”

“No, Magnus, I don’t think I will.”

“Please Alec. I’ve missed you and…”

“Oh, you’ve missed me,” Alec said, disbelief laced in his words.  And he didn’t even care if he was being harsh at the moment. Right then, all his emotions had come bubbling to the surface, everything that he had been holding back, and anger was at the top of that boiling pot. “I find that hard to believe, because, if you really did care about me that much, you wouldn’t have kissed Camille in the first place! Did you even think of how I would feel? Do you know the hell you’ve put me through?”

“Alec, that’s all I have been thinking about. Please…” He was practically begging at this point, but Alec was having none of it.

“And to think I actually thought you cared about me,” Alec said, watching the effect the words had on Magnus. He looked as if someone had just shot him, but as believable as it looked, Alec knew it was all an act. Everything with Magnus was an act. “I thought that, for once, I actually mattered. I thought I was special, that I was so lucky because someone like you actually like _me_.” He let out a bitter chuckle. “But I was wrong, wasn’t I? Of course you would pick someone else. Someone better. There’s always someone better. Why did you even date me in the first place? What were you thinking? Was I just some charity cause for you? Just a fun game? That’s it, isn’t it? Get the shy virgin out of the closet.”

“Alec, stop, please.” Magnus said. He had walked up to Alec while he talked, closing the distance between them. He had grabbed Alec’s face between his hands, and he was looking intently at him, locking their gazes. “Don’t talk about yourself that way. How could you ever think about yourself like that?”

Alec felt like he would get lost in his eyes, despite the situation. _No, stop it,_ he told himself, pulling out of Magnus’s grasp. He couldn’t afford for that to happen, not right now.

“Don’t act like it’s not true. All my life, I’ve lived in the shadows of those younger than me.  Who would remember plain old Alec Lightwood when his best friend was the star of the school? Or when his sister was the hottest girl in the castle? What did he have to offer? But then you came along, and for once, I wasn’t in anyone’s shadow, only to have it all taken away. I don’t even know why you’re even here with me right now. It’s not like you care.”

“Alec, don’t you understand? I do care.” Magnus turned Alec’s head to face him again. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. I care about you too much for my own good”

Alec didn’t understand what Magnus was telling him. It made no sense! “Then why…”

“Because I was stupid Alec!” Magnus exclaimed. “I made what was possibly the biggest mistake in my life so far when I kissed that she-demon back. I should have pushed her off of me right away; I shouldn’t even have let her get as close as she did. But I didn’t. My body reacted before my mind did, it acted on instinct, and I… I kissed her back. But it felt wrong. Oh, Alec, it felt so wrong, because she wasn’t you. I shouldn’t have been kissing anyone but you. I knew in my heart that you’re the only one. And that’s when I did push her off. But I was too late, the damage was done.” He looked down at his feet and took a deep breath. “I saw you leave the Great Hall.” He looked up at Alec again, his eyes starting to water, just a little bit, barely noticeable, but that meant a lot from Magnus, who usually kept his feelings locked up tight. “I… I tried to follow you, but by the time I got out, you were gone. I didn’t know which way to go, and I called your name but you were too far to hear. And I knew I had lost you.” He let his head drop again. “And it was my fault. I knew I had broken your heart, but there was nothing I could do, and I hated that, and I hated myself for it. I should have never kissed her back. I was so stupid. Why did I kiss her back? Why didn’t I push her off? Why did I even let her talk to me, especially when she was trying to get me back? Why, when I had you?” Alec’s heart felt like it was going to explode at his words. “Alexander, you’re too good for me. You’re perfect in every way, and I hate it when you tell yourself otherwise. But your humbleness is just another wonderful piece of you. I don’t deserve you, and I was stupid enough to make the mistake that pushed you away from me. I know how the past week or so has been for you, because it’s been the same for me. I missed having you by my side, and knowing I was the cause for your absence made it so much harder on me. I’m so sorry, Alec. And I know I don’t deserve your apology, but I need it.”

Alec was speechless. He didn’t know to say to that, it was the least likely thing he expected Magnus to say. Everything he said made his heart swell, and as much as he wanted to just jump into Magnus’s arms and take him back, his heart and mind still remembered the pain. He wasn’t ready to go back, for fear of it happening again. He couldn’t take that risk.

Magnus was looking at him intently, waiting for him to answer whilst searching his face for any clues that could give it away. When he realized Alec wasn’t going to answer any time soon, he sighed. “Please Alec. Please, just answer me. Even if you end it right now, even if you say you could never forgive me, please, just give me an answer. I need to know because…” he trailed off, looking at Alec hopefully, but also worried. And there was a sense of… uncertainty, which was so unlike him, Alec could only wonder what was going on in his head.

“Because… what?” Alec asked curiously.

Magnus closed his eyes, probably in thought. After a moment, he appeared to have made a decision. He took a shaky breath and opened his eyes, his gaze meeting Alec’s. Alec locked his eyes with Magnus’s unwavering ones, feeling as he was looking directly into Magnus’s heart, as he heard the next few words uttered from Magnus’s lips, words filled with more emotion and honesty than he had heard in any statement before in his life.

“Because, Alexander… I think I’m in love with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awe, a little cute end :)
> 
> But don't get too comfortable...


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise (again)! The next chapter is here and, as short as it may be, it's out extra early :)
> 
> I'm afraid this is the last surprise chapter you guys will get. Like I said on previous chapters, I might get to write this weekend, but if not, I won't be back for another two weeks. I'm sorry you guys will have to wait that long, but at least I got another chapter out before then, right?
> 
> In other news, whose excited for The Bane Chronicles? And the Malec moments we get in it! I can't wait till I get my hands on it :)
> 
> Okay, anyways, I hope you enjoy :)
> 
> Oh, one last thing, there was one line of Taylor Swift's song "Blank Space" that kept coming back in my head while I was writing this. I forgot what it was though... I'm sure I'll remember soon enough.

_Magnus POV_

“Because, Alexander… I think I’m in love with you.”

The phrase hung over them in the air, and the word ‘love’ seemed to echo off the walls, over and over. Nothing else seemed to make a sound, and the next few seconds felt like they were going on forever as Magnus waited more Alec to say something, _anything_ , in response; a shout, a whisper, an end. He needed him to _do_ something, even if that something was to walk away. He would have settled for just a simple move or gesture, a nod of the head, or a headshake, a hug…

A kiss.

He immediately shut that idea down. It was too much to hope for.

Their gazes were locked, hopeful, yet sad, yellow-green eyes searching blue ones filled with surprise. Magnus watched Alec as he seemed to be at a constant battle with himself, emotions across his face by with every shift in expression. Magnus had no idea what he was thinking, and it was killing him. A bit of Alec’s ebony hair fell in his face, and Magnus longed to brush it away, but he didn’t. He knew it wasn’t the right time for that. He was worried that any movement, or thereby lack of, would push Alec away. So he remained still, waiting desperately for the next words Alec would say.

“Please, Alec, please say something,” Magnus pleaded. He knew he looked so hopeless, so unlike himself, but he didn’t care about that. Nothing else but Alec mattered at the moment. “Don’t leave me hanging,” he added with a small, forced chuckle. “Please…”

He trailed off and watched as Alec suddenly dropped his head, his hair falling in his face, shielding his eyes from Magnus. Alec let out a sigh and said something so quietly that Magnus couldn’t hear him.

“What?” Magnus said as cautiously and softly as he could. He watched the boy in front of him, anxious and scared about what he would say next.

Alec just shook his head. “I… God I’m going to regret this… I…” He ran a hand through his hair, leaving it more ruffled than before, and in no way helping with the tingling in Magnus’s fingers that came with the need to run his own fingers through it. Alec took a deep breath before continuing, “I… I think I… might… I might be in love with you too…”

Magnus could barely comprehend what he was hearing; it was too good to believe. He thought Alec hated him after that night, and rightly so, too. If Alec had just left him right then and there, true he would have been heartbroken, but he would have understood, seeing as he wasn’t the first of the two to get their heart shattered in this relationship. He would have had to deal with the fact that he would have to move on from him, as difficult as it would be.

But he didn’t walk away; he didn’t end everything. He had done the exact opposite. He stayed right where he was and repeated the same message Magnus had given him. His heart swelled with relief and joy the moment the words left Alec’s lips.

When Alec lifted his head to look at Magnus in the eyes, Magnus prepared himself for the worst as he searched his eyes for something he knew wouldn’t be there: a sign that he was lying. But nothing Alec ever said was a lie, and Magnus knew that. So when all he was met with were eyes that held the truth, Magnus was so overwhelmed that he didn’t notice the flicker of something else swimming in that mind. Instead, in the space of a second, he placed his hands on the sides of Alec’s face and leaned in, eyes slipping shut, closing what little space there was between them…

“But…”

The word cut through Magnus’s daze like a knife, and he felt Alec slip from his grasp, stepping away from him, leaving a few feet in between them. The space was small, but it felt like he was a world away. Magnus could practically see the walls forming up around Alec again.

Magnus felt his heart fall, felt it shatter all over again as he crashed back to reality. He tried not to let it show, but he knew it was only too obvious. He let out a soft sigh, the smile that had formed only seconds ago slipped away, and his shoulders slumped.

“But… what?” he couldn’t keep himself from asking, knowing he wouldn’t like the answer.

“But… I-I can’t, Magnus.” Alec turned his head away from Magnus.

“You can’t what?”

“I can’t do…” he gestured between the two of them. “… this.” He sighed again, audibly. “I-I can’t… I…Magnus, you don’t know how much I want to. I want to jump back into what we had. I want to run into your embrace, I want to feel your arms around me, your lips pressed against mine. I want to feel safe and happy with you again. I want to leave the past days in the past.”

“Then why don’t you?” Magnus asked confused, even though he had a hunch as to what he should expect.

“Because I can’t!” He put his head in his hands, briefly, before looking back up, shaking his head softly. “You hurt me, Magnus. You kissed someone else, and I felt used, betrayed. I felt worthless, wondering what I did wrong. How did I mess up something so good in my life? I couldn’t figure out why I had been so stupid as to think you ever liked me. You put me through hell.” He locked his eyes with Magnus and kept them there, unwavering. “And as much as I want to believe you won’t do it again, how can I be sure? How can I be sure that I won’t have to relive this experience? The answer, I’m afraid, is that I can’t.”

Every word he said tore Magnus’s heart out of his chest bit by bit. Magnus wanted, no, he _needed_ to assure Alec that he wouldn’t do it again. He knew he wouldn’t and it was torture to watch Alec like this, so convinced that he might make the same mistake again. But no, Alec wasn’t done. He couldn’t afford to further distance Alec from him, so he kept his mouth shut.

“I’m not ready to fall headfirst into this again, Magnus. I can’t do that to myself. Everything is still so fresh in my mind, and… I don’t trust you the way I once did. I’m. Not. Ready. No matter how much I wish I was, I’m not. I’m so sorry, Magnus.”

Alec turned to walk away, picking his book up in the process, but Magnus had other ideas. He quickly closed the distance between them, and he lightly grabbed Alec’s hand and turned him around. This was NOT happening. He had finally found him, he poured his heart out to him, and Alec even told Magnus that he loved him too. He couldn’t leave at that moment; he couldn’t just end it, could he?

The blue he met was filled with sadness as it focused on Magnus. Magnus knew his own eyes looked the same; he just hoped that Alec would be able to see it.

“Alec, I would never intentionally do anything to harm or hurt you in any way, I can promise you that,” Magnus said, keeping his gaze determinedly still. “Alec, you are perfect in every way. You are beautiful, funny, adorable, kind, smart, and everything to me. That’s why I fell for you, not because I was bored or that it would be a fun experiment, a little game, or a charity event. You truly are amazing, and I love every part of you; your smile and how it lights up your face, your laugh and its angelic sound that comes out whenever I get you to laugh. Your adorable blush that creeps up on your delicate pale, your passion and protectiveness for the people you love. Your beautiful blue eyes that I could get lost in for the rest of my life, your silky smooth black hair, even if it falls in your face to hide your eyes from me.” Magnus watched as Alec dropped his head again. “…like right now.” He smiled to himself for a brief moment at Alec’s usual adorableness, despite how frustrating it was at the moment. “All of that and more add up to the wonderful person in front of me right now.”

“I’m not any of that,” Alec interjected, looking up at him, his voice small. “You make it sound like I’m some angel from heaven.”

“That’s because you are, at least to me,” Magnus countered. “And I find it so unbelievable that you don’t see it and it makes me so frustrated at whoever put the idea in your head that you are anything but amazing. But, I guess if you did know how great you were, there’s a small chance that you would have ended up like Goldilocks, and we can’t have another one of him running around here, can we?” Magnus grinned a little when he saw Alec smile softly and shake with a silent laughter. “But you didn’t turn out that way, and instead you turned out better. And I was stupid enough to make the mistake that would push you away from me.” He breathed in. “I promise I would never do anything to harm you knowingly. I have never felt this way for anyone else. In truth, I don’t know what to do about it. It’s a scary feeling, being in love, but it feels so right and I wouldn’t change it for anything.”

Alec had remained silent after Magnus’s last few words, staring at Magnus with wide eyes.

“I know I don’t deserve you; I know I shouldn’t ask this of you… But, please, Alec, could you give me a second chance? Please?” Magnus begged him.

“I can’t. Magnus, I’m so, so sorry,” he responded, sadly shaking his head side to side.

“Please, could you please try? Let _me_ try to fix this?”

Alec just continued to shake his head sadly, looking down at his feet.

“Didn’t you just say that you loved me too?” Magnus asked, a little impatiently.

“I know I did, and I wasn’t lying when I said it,” Alec replied. “But that doesn’t change the fact that I’m just not ready for this. I can’t… I just can’t.”

“Is there any chance for the future?” Magnus asked him hopefully.

Alec looked up at him one last time. “I-Maybe… in the future… I just need time first.”

He turned his head down again and slowly moved closer to Magnus, his eyes slipping shut. Magnus slowly wrapped his arms around Alec, relishing in the feeling of having him in his arms again. True, he wished they were officially back together, but at least they weren’t really over. He still had a chance. And for Alec, he was willing to wait as long as he needed if it meant he would be with him again.

“I’ll wait for you,” Magnus whispered softly, feeling Alec shudder slightly. He placed a small kiss on Alec’s forehead with his eyes closed, and he was sure he dragged it out for too long, but he didn’t care. It might be the only he could give in a while, maybe even the last, period. _Don’t think that way_ , he scolded himself. “I’ll be here waiting for you when you’re ready.”

Alec let out a sigh of relief, but he didn’t say anything. He kept his eyes closed for a brief moment before opening them as he stepped out of Magnus’s embrace, peeling Magnus’s arms off of him. He backed away, turned around and started walking away from Magnus, his book in hand.

He looked back for a moment, guilt and sadness and hurt written all over his face. “I’m sorry,” he said one last time.

“It’s okay, darling,” Magnus replied, testing his luck with a small grin.

He saw Alec give a small smile before he turned away and walked toward the exit, leaving Magnus alone with his thoughts, reliving what had just occurred. He listened to the sound of Alec’s footsteps becoming fainter and fainter until he couldn’t hear anything but the wind. He sighed to himself and started to make his way out of the stands.

It seemed his heart would stay broken. It was like there was tape over it now, holding the pieces together before someone came with the glue. But it could fall apart as easily as it could be mended.

But, for now, it would have to remain shattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I can make all the tables turn."
> 
> Ah that's what it the line was.
> 
> Yep, that describes me right now :) *insert evil laugh here*
> 
> Anyways, I'll have another update for you within the next two and a half weeks.
> 
> Sorry to leave you at this...


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for waiting so patiently. You guys are amazing :)

_Alec POV_

February, along with the second task, seemed to arrive all too quickly; the last few weeks had gone by in a blur.

 At least, it seemed that way to Alec as he walked to the library, reflecting on the last month. While December had provided a bitter end to the year, the month of January and the New Year came with the chance for a fresh start. That’s what New Year’s was all about, right? Fresh starts, new beginnings? And Alec was more than happy to welcome the opportunity.

Over the past few weeks, he had fallen into a routine. Every day, he’d wake up and go to the Great Hall, where he’d eat breakfast at the Gryffindor table with his sister and friends. He had decided that he would eat breakfast and dinner there, choosing to have lunch at his own house’s table with Tessa. On weekdays, he’d go through his classes as usual, finding his way to the library by the end of the day before dinner to work on homework. He wanted to get it done right away, and it worked for him, seeing as his teachers seemed to think that the students didn’t have enough work the last few years so they want to give every assignment possible before the seventh years left for good. But Alec didn’t mind the amount of work; it gave him something to do, something to distract him, rather than wasting time thinking about _him_.

Magnus had respected Alec’s wish, keeping his distance from him, and Alec was grateful for that, seeing as he didn’t know how he would be able to cope being so close to him, wanting to kiss him, but at the same time, the burning image of Camille in his arms flashing through his mind. It made things in the week or two after the break so much easier.

And while Magnus did keep his distance the first two weeks or so, slowly but surely, he began to fold himself into Alec’s routine. It started with a casual “hello” when passing in the hallway, slowly snowballing into their current situation. Now, every day, Magnus would eat lunch with Alec and Tessa, meals passing by with polite conversations and small talk. Every now and then, one would get a small chuckle out of the other or a small smile, and Alec was content with it. Although, he could tell Magnus still missed what they had, seeing as he would sometimes catch Magnus watching him, or notice the smile fall whenever Magnus thought no one was looking at him. As much as Alec longed to change that, to make Magnus happy again, to end his own slight sadness of the situation, something kept holding him back. But he knew it wouldn’t take long, wouldn’t take many more fleeting looks from Magnus, for his will to break and he finds himself falling in Magnus’s embrace again.

But he had other things to focus on and worry about for the time being. Or rather, Jace did, but that didn’t stop Alec from worrying about him.

There were less than twenty-four hours until the second task, the event being held earlier this year, and Alec doubted Jace was ready. Sure, he claimed to have figured out what the second task was, but he refused to tell anyone what it was. Instead, he rounded his friends up and had them help him tear through random books in the library, learning tidbits of information every now and then. Today was one of the only days he wasn’t going to be in the library, so Alec took the opportunity to enjoy the silence, ready to curl up on one of the chairs with a good book.

And that’s what he did, or at least he tried to. He couldn’t seem to be able to focus on the book in his hands, his eyes slipping shut no matter how many times he tried to read the same sentence. If he was being honest to himself, it was getting late, but, as any reader, he was determined to continue reading. But, before long, the page started to blur before his eyes, the lines mixing with one another, as his eyes slipped open and shut for one last time. He couldn’t bring himself to stand up and walk back to the Ravenclaw Tower, so he made himself comfortable where he was. Surely no one would mind if he fell asleep right there? True, students weren’t supposed to be out of bed after midnight, but the staff loved Alec. Surely they’d let this one time slide?

And with that last thought, he felt himself drift off into a dreamless sleep.

 

*            *           *

 

Darkness. That’s the first thing Alec noticed when he woke up; the sudden darkness he was unaccustomed too.

Second, was the cold, biting at his skin through the thin fabric of his robes.

Third: the fact that he couldn’t move. Something was keeping him tied to the solid cylinder behind him. He struggled to move a tinny bit, but to no avail. It was then he noticed that his feet weren’t touching the ground.

“And ze sleeping beauty awakes,” a cold voice with a French accent said out of the darkness.

Alec allowed his eyes to adjust to the darkness, taking in his surroundings. He noticed two other students, about his age, in a similar situation as him. All three of them were tied to trees, forming a triangle, and, as far as Alec could tell, they were about ten or so meters up in the air. To Alec’s left, there was a girl of short stature with black hair braided down to her waist. Her gray eyes shown through the darkness, and she had a faint grin on her lips.

To his right, there was a boy with platinum white hair that glowed in the few moon beams that managed to find their way through the cloudy sky. His skin was very pale, much like Alec’s, and his eyes were extremely dark, though Alec thought that maybe it was just the lightning. Alec assumed it was he that had broken the silence (or as much silence as there was in the woods), considering that he was looking at Alec expectantly, and the voice had been lower than a typical female’s voice would be.

“What-how… where are we?” Alec asked his companions.

“You don’t remember?” asked the girl, her voice heavy with an accent that Alec vaguely recognized as Swedish.

“Of course he doesn’t,” the boy answered, turning to his right. “He was practically falling asleep when zey told us everything. Zey had to carry him out, need I remind you?”

“Need _I_ remind you that _ve_ doesn’t include me? You guys vere here when I got here,” she said, defensively.

“Yes, but I ‘ave only told you what ‘appened five times,” the boy muttered in response.

“You said _nothing_ about that!” she shot back.

“Can you two stop bickering and tell me what the hell is going on?!” Alec interrupted, frustrated at the whole situation.

“Vy, velcome to the second Trivizard Task, my friend,” the girl responded, her tone switching immediately, having finished her argument with the white-haired boy.

“W-What?” Alec asked, refusing to believe what he was hearing.

“Ze Triwizard Tournament,” the boy repeated. “We’re in ze Forbidden Forest, if zat’s what you are really wondering about.” He sounded bored at the whole situation, and annoyed at Alec’s constant questions. “And before you ask why, we are waiting for our school champions to save us.”

Alec took a moment to process the information. Well, he wasn’t expecting for this to be the next task, much less that he would be involved in the tournament at all. But here he was, strapped to a tree in the Forbidden Forest, at night, with the company of complete strangers he had yet to learn the names of, most likely surrounded by all the creatures that dwell in these woods. And, for some reason, Alec wasn’t in the least bit frightened.

“Okay… And you two are…?” Alec asked.

“Tyra,” the girl responded, “friend of Viria. That over there,” she tilted her head to the boy, who glared at her. “…is Sebastian…”

“I’m ze adopted brother of Jean,” he responded. “…who should really ‘urry up right now!” he shouted to the sky. He turned back to Alec before asking, “And what do we call you?”

“Alec,” he responded. “Friend of…”

“Let me guess… Jace?” Sebastian interrupted, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “It’s not zat hard to figure out, since there’s only zree champions.”

Tyra rolled her eyes, probably already sick of everything Sebastian had to say.

“Wait, what exactly is the task?” Alec asked, ignoring Sebastian’s previous comment.

Sebastian let out an annoyed sigh. Tyra, on the other hand, was more than happy to answer. “Vell, you can clearly tell, but ve are each tied up to our own tree in the Forbidden Forrest. Down below us are centaurs, making sure ve don’t get killed by big spiders or anything. And ve have to vait here for our champion to find us and untie us. First group to get back gets the most points. Vell, if one of the two is harmed in any way, of course, points vill be deducted,” she explained. “Now, ve just wait.”

“Which I am getting bored of!” Sebastian called in the woods again, causing Tyra to roll her eyes again.

“I can’t believe I’m stuck vith him,” she muttered.

“Ze feeling’s mutual,” Sebastian spitted out in response. “I wasn’t even supposed to be ‘ere,” he said to Alec. “Zey just shipped me out for zis task.” He glared at the ground. “At least I might see ‘er,” he said so silently that Alec almost missed it.

Silence fell over the three of them, interrupted with the sounds of the forest; the hoot of an owl, the clickers of a spider, the howl of a werewolf.

Suddenly, without warning, Tyra’s face lit up, a grin spreading across her face. She looked up at the other two, both with confused expressions of their faces.

“Vell boys, looks like my ride’s here,” she said, smirking. She started to wiggle a little against the ropes.

And with that, the ropes around her fell to the ground, not untied, but cut or chewed off. Tyra started to fall to the ground. Right before she hit it, she curled into a ball, a perfect somersault, gracefully rolling on the ground into a standing position, dusting the dirt off of her clothes.

Not a few seconds later, Viria emerged from the trees. “Oh, do all the vork for me, I see. Couldn’t let me do the saving here?” she asked jokingly.

“Of course,” Tyra responded, laughing, and Alec though he caught her wink, but from this height, it was hard to tell. “Good job out there,” she added.

“Vatever,” Viria responded. “Let’s vin this.”

And then the two were gone, leaving Sebastian and Alec to wonder the same things. How did she get down? How did the ropes get cut? They didn’t hear or see any magic at work. And usually, with magic involved, the ropes would untie themselves rather than cut off. And it looked like they were chewed off. How had that happened? Viria didn’t even have her wand out when she emerged from the darkness. They didn’t even see Viria until after Tyra had landed. So, how did she do it? It didn’t make sense to either of the two. But as they stared, confused at each other, they both shook their heads, silently agreeing not to voice their questions. Clearly it was just something they didn’t learn about yet, and asking the other would do no good considering how confused they both looked. Not to mention they weren’t exactly friends or anything. Alec wasn’t even sure if he liked this Sebastian kid. Something about him was unsettling.

Then, out of nowhere, Alec spotted a familiar flash of gold on the ground, just about the same time he felt the ropes around him start to move.

“Bon sang,” Alec heard Sebastian curse under his breath. “Where is he? ‘Ow ‘ard is it to find your way around a forest?”

But Alec paid no mind to it, as he knew he had but seconds to come up with a way to not fall to his death. With a last second split decision, he cast a nonverbal spell in his head. _Accio broomstick!_ he thought with everything he had.

There must have been brooms in place nearby for that exact purpose because not a second after he cast the spell was a broom there, hovering beside him. And just on time too, seeing as not a second after it arrived, the ropes fell away. Quickly, as gravity began to take hold, he grabbed the broom, bringing it down with him, slowing down his fall enough to swing his leg over it. He flew down to the ground to where Jace was standing.

“Quick thinking, mate,” he said smiling. “However, you just leave that here. We can’t use it after this point.”

Alec dropped the broom without a second thought. “We should go,” he said. “Viria was already here, and she’s heading back.”

“Yeah, I saw her a minute back, and Jean isn’t too far behind. But we can still catch up to Viria; don’t give up on me yet.” Jace grinned before he turned around and started to jog. “You coming?” Jace called over his shoulder.

And so, without a second look back, Alec started to sprint until he reached Jace, who started to sprint with him. They had to win this.

 

*             *            *

 

They ran for what seemed to be hours, even though it was barely even one. The forest seemed to change around them, trying to confuse them. Neither Alec nor Jace had ever been this deep in the Forbidden Forest, you know, since it’s _forbidden_ , and all. Roots would seem to arise out of nowhere, determined to trip one, or both, of them. It became more difficult to move in some places, the trees becoming bigger, the plants thickening around them, sometimes rising to their waists. When the forest would start to turn darker, they would turn around, sure that they were in too far, heading the wrong way, seeing as they needed to go out, rather than in. More than once, they came across a unicorn, but it quickly galloped away at the sound of their stomping feet. They didn’t see any centaurs, seeing as they were guarding the trees, but Alec didn’t want to think about what would happen if they came across a wild centaur.

The sky had begun to clear up, but it was no help for Jace and Alec, but rather an added obstacle. It was a full moon that night, and every now and then they would hear a wolf howl off in the distance and they would freeze, hoping it wouldn’t head their way, but preparing themselves in case it did.

Their breaths because tired, but they kept pushing on. They were determined to be first back from the task. Not to mention, it wouldn’t be safe to stop moving for too long.  Alec could hear the sounds of some creatures, such as the slither of a garden snake. But, other times, he would see a group of spiders heading in the same direction. Everyone at the school knew that there was a spot in the forest where a family of many gigantic spiders take residence. And these spiders ate human flesh.  Alec and Jace always headed in the opposite direct of the spiders whenever they saw them.

They did, however, come across a few medium sized spiders, which the quickly got rid of, before sprinting away, never once slowing down.

And, then, of course, there was once a rumor that there was a giant in the forest, and people started adding on saying there’s a whole clan there, just waiting to attack the castle. Alec didn’t believe it, but he wasn’t about to go searching the forest for a giant. If there was a giant, Alec didn’t know what he and Jace would do, considering many spells didn’t work on giants due to their thick skin. He supposed the best they could do in that situation would be to just keep running.

Finally, they noticed the forest begin to clear up, the trees becoming more spread apart. Without a second thought, they both picked up the pace.

The sky seemed to be lighter and brighter. It must have almost been time for the sunrise. But, for the time being, the sky was still very dark.

Soon, they could see the end of the trees, the school in the distance, but the temporarily built stands filled with people much closer. The people seemed to notice they were arriving, and suddenly every Hogwarts student was up on their feet, cheering Alec and Jace on. As tired as he was, Alec couldn’t help but let the smile creep onto his face. They were so close, and, by the looks of it, they would be the first back. None of the other champions were in sight.

Jace seemed ecstatic t to get back, while Alec slowed down his pace a little, seeing no need to rush. He was still thirty meters away when Jace reached the clearing, stopping where he was to bow for the cheering crowds. Alec rolled his eyes as he approached his friend. He didn’t win yet until Alec was there as well.

Twenty meters away. Alec could barely hear anything over the shouts and cheers.

Fifteen meters away. Jace started to turn around to beckon him to hurry up.

Ten meters away. Jace’s face fell as he noticed something behind Alec, something Alec couldn’t see or hear, something he paid no mind to.

But he did pay attention to his friend’s now terrified face.

Time seemed to slow down as Alec slowed down during the last few meters, curious as to what Jace was looking at. He saw him shout something but couldn’t hear, and he stopped to give him a questioning look.

That was his mistake.

A sudden piercing feeling erupted in his shoulder. His veins burned as he felt something course through his body, weakening him as it went. It felt like it was tearing at him from the inside and out, and there was nothing Alec could do to stop it. He heard Jace shout something, moving forward, waving his wand as he did. He felt something get removed from his shoulder, but the pain remained. He felt his knees give out as he crashed to the ground. His vision started to fade to darkness, the world around him starting to slip away.

And throughout it all, one voice rang over the rest, calling Alec’s name, becoming louder and clearer as Alec’s vision disappeared until…

Darkness. That was the last thing he remembered; the ever engulfing darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I know there weren't any Malec moments, but I needed more action, to evolve the Triwizard Tournament plot line, and it also sets up for future chapters...


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry I was gone for so long. I was writing something for a writing contest, and I was busy with school. But, I'm back, and with a new chapter. And that story I was writing for the contest on fanfiction.net, it was an alternate ending to the Yule Ball scene, and I mean a completely different ending. The contest was to write a Malec Christmas one-shot, and I did just that, while making a little gift for my readers. I will post it before Christmas, so keep an eye out for that.  
> Anyways, on with the story!

_Magnus POV_

It was like something out of a horror film. Time slowed down as Magnus watched, suddenly seized with terror. How was it, that but one second ago, he had be celebrating with his fellow class mates? How could everything go wrong within the space of a second?

It was when he turned his face forward again when he saw it. Its large body crept up behind Alec, moving fairly quickly on its eight long, hairy legs, all eight of its black beady eyes focused on the prey in front of him. Magnus watched, frozen, speechless, as Alec stopped where he was, only to be pierced in his shoulder with one of the Acromantula’s pincers. His face screwed up in agony. Magnus could barely focus on anything but the heart-wrenching sight in front of him. He barely registered Jace’s shout, but he did notice the spell he cast, Flipendo, the Knockback Jinx, forcing the creature off Alec. It scuttled away, but the damage was done.

Alec feel to his knees, and as he crashed to the ground, that was when Magnus finally gained control over his body.

“ALEC!” he shouted over the commotion. He started to move forward, desperate to reach him, but there were too many people in the way. When he finally reached the ground, they wouldn’t let him run to Alec.

Magnus watched, helpless, as they carried Alec’s body to the castle.

 

*            *            *

 

They had to get rid of the venom coursing through his veins. No one was to be let in until they did so.

That’s what they had told Magnus when he arrived at the hospital wing. That’s what they told Isabelle, Simon, Clary, and Tessa when they arrived a minute later. That’s what they repeated to Jace after the Second Task was over, when they finally let him leave.

Magnus paced impatiently back and forth in the corridor outside the infirmary, as did Isabelle and Jace. Clary and Simon sat against the walls, across the corridor from each other. No one said a word, the steady beat of their pacing feet creating the only sound to be heard.

Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, the doors opened, and they let them enter the room. Luckily, there were exactly six of them, so they were all allowed in. Magnus walked inside without a second thought.

Alec lay in one of the infirmary beds, his chest rising and falling slightly, his eyes shut.  Magnus rushed over to him, and grabbed his hand, lacing their fingers together. His skin was paler than usual, and it was deathly cold. It broke his heart to see Alec like this. He brought Alec’s hand to his lips and placed a small kiss on the back of it.

“You can stop acting like you care so much.”

Magnus snapped his head up and turned in the direction of the voice, his eyes taking in the people around him as he did. He forgot they were all there. Isabelle had moved to the other side of Alec, and she was holding his other hand, while Simon tried to comfort her. Tessa was standing beside Magnus, and Clary was on his other side. And beside her was the one who spoke, glaring at Magnus.

“Excuse me?” Magnus said.

“We all know you don’t really care for him…”

“Jace!” Izzy interrupted, shocked.

“… and right now, he doesn’t need false sympathy. Especially not from _you_...”

“Jace…” Clary began.

“So why don’t you just go? Stop wasting your time.”

Magnus dropped Alec’s hand, gently, and crossed his arms over his chest, meeting Jace’s glare with his own.

“I’ll have you know, Alexander means the damn world to me,” Magnus countered.

“Could have fooled me.”

“You got a problem, Goldilocks?”

“Well, now that you’re asking, yeah, I do,” he responded. “Just the little fact that you broke my best friend’s heart as if it were nothing, and _still_ he chooses to spend time around you. Do you even know how broken he was? I doubt you even care. So, yes, I think I have every right to have a problem with you.”

“Look,” Magnus began. “I had no intention of breaking Alexander’s heart. He’s the best thing that ever happened to me, and it’s been torture since that night.”

“Yeah, well, you should have thought of that before you kissed Camille,” Jace spat out.

“Jace!” Izzy and Clary exclaimed simultaneously.

“Camille kissed me!” Magnus defended.

“And you kissed her back!” Jace countered. “Do you deny it?” When Magnus didn’t say anything, he continued. “You should just go. I doubt he even wants to see you.” He turned his back to Magnus and started to walk to the other side of the room.

Anger built up in Magnus’s body. He clenched and unclenched his fists. How _dare_ he say he didn’t care? There was nothing and no one Magnus had ever cared for more, or even close to how he felt for Alec.

All of his bottled up emotions from the past month turned to anger, bubbling up inside of him, and he didn’t even think through what he said next. The words were out before he could stop them.

“At least I’m not the reason Alec’s in here,” he spat out, glaring daggers at Jace’s back.

“Magnus…” Tessa said cautiously.

 Jace turned around slowly. “Did you say something, Bane?” He started to walk towards Magnus. “Because, I could have sworn, you were suggesting that it was my fault that Alec was attacked by that Acromantula.”

“Magnus!” Tessa said again, placing a hand on his arm.

“What? It was his job to make sure Alec got out safely! He should have protected him!” Magnus said, raising his voice.

“You don’t think I know that? Do you know how hard it was to watch him like that?”

“Well, considering that I _was_ watching, helpless from the stands and all, I think I do. And what I saw was Alec get hurt because _you_ weren’t quick enough.

“I did everything I could!”

“Clearly, that wasn’t enough,” Magnus replied. “He wouldn’t have even been in the games if it wasn’t for you.”

 “What do you want me to say, Bane? That I’m sorry that the judges noticed how much I cared for Alec? That I would do anything for him? That I care for him more than most everyone, including you?”

“You don’t know me,” Magnus growled. “You have no _idea_ what I would do for him.” They were inches away from each other, each with a hand on their wand.

“Oh, is kissing your ex right in front of him on that list?”

“GUYS!”

Simon was in between the two of them, pushing them apart. Clary and Isabelle got a hold of Jace, and Tessa was doing her best with Magnus. Jace pulled out of Isabelle and Clary’s grasp and walked out of the room with one last glare at Magnus.

“He deserves better than you,” Jace said before he left.

After a moment of silence, Clary spoke up, “I should probably go check on him. You know-make sure he’s alright and…” She trailed off as she turned around, starting to jog to catch up with Jace.

“And you,” Tessa began, speaking to Magnus from behind. He turned around to face her. “You should probably go get some air and calm down.”

“I’m fine right where I am,’ Magnus insisted. “I don’t care what he says; I’m staying here with Alec. You should go back to bed; we did wake up early for this task. You should make up for the lost hours.”

She seemed hesitant at first, but after a moment she got up, gave her goodbyes, and left.

“You’ll stay with him until he wakes up?” Izzy asked him slowly.

Magnus looked up at her. “Of course.”

Izzy breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. I’m not sure if Clary alone will be able to calm Jace down. But, look… I still don’t fully trust you. So if you do anything, anything at all, to even remotely hurt Alec again, I will personally track you down and tear you apart, limb by limb,” she said seriously. “But I trust you know better than that, so we shouldn’t have a problem.” She looked over at Simon. “Come on, Simon, let’s go.” The two of them walked out of the hospital wing, leaving Magnus alone with only his thoughts and the sleeping form of Alec for company.

Magnus looked over at Alec, grabbing his hand again. His thoughts kept straying back to everything Jace had said. It was all like a slap in the face. But the worst part was that some of those things were things Magnus thought to himself all the time, and how true it all was. Jace had every right to think that way, to hate him so much. He hated himself for everything he did that December night. The guilt tore him up from the inside out. He would have done most anything to go back and change it. Why did he kiss Camille? What demon possessed him to do so? He hated how he had broken Alec, and he cursed himself for it. He had never wanted to be the cause of his pain.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m so, so sorry, Alec.”

And what was with him blaming Jace for Alec’s current state? He knew it wasn’t his fault. But as he sat there, thinking it through, he knew that was exactly what was going through his mind as he watched Alec fall. He knew that, deep down inside of him, there was a small part of him that blamed Jace, that hated him, for it. How could Jace have let that happen to him? He knew it was irrational, he knew how ridiculous the thought was. But Jace should have done something. He shouldn’t have let Alec slow down when they were so close to the end. He should have forced him to keep going. Even if it could be considered to be Alec’s own mistake, Jace should have done something, anything, to save him.

Magnus let his head drop. _Look at me_ , he thought to himself. _I’m an emotional wreck_. How could one person be the cause of all of this? How had one person managed to turn his world upside down a twist his thoughts so that person was always in the front of his mind? Before Alec, Magnus never had such a serious relationship, the closest one being his and Camille’s, and even that was unstable and temporary. Magnus didn’t even think it was possible to feel this strongly towards another individual. But then Alec walked in and stole his heart. Now, he was the cause of his strongest emotions; worry, fear, sadness, joy…

Everything led back to him. How did Alec even manage to get Magnus so wrapped up in him? What had he done to become his world?

But Magnus knew the answer to that question. Alec was just being Alec. He wasn’t even trying. He was just being himself; sweet, smart, loyal, funny, handsome, perfect Alec. And that was all Magnus needed from him, just to be who he was, and Magnus would do anything for him.

But he had pushed him away. Even if he did say he loved him, how could Alec possibly still want to be around Magnus after what he did? How could he love him? Jace’s words stung because they were his own constant doubts.

He looked down at Alec, whom he swore to stay by till he awoke. He wasn’t even sure if Alec would want him there when he woke up. Was Magnus doing any good by being there?

Magnus let out a sigh and turned his head to the ceiling. Suddenly he felt his eyes begin to drop. What he had said to Tessa had been true; they woke them up in the middle of the night for the Second Task. He only had an hour or two of sleep in. Add to that the stressfulness of the morning, and Magnus was surprised he even made it that far. He felt himself drift into and dreamless sleep, the thought of piercing blue eyes being the last thing on his mind before he slipped away.

Little did he know Alec had awoken just then, watching as Magnus feel asleep, momentarily confused as to where he was…

…Until the memory kicked in.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Just so you know, my Christmas one-shot is up! It's the alternate ending to the Yule Ball scene, and it's my Christmas gift to you :) I feel like you'll like that ending a lot better... I hope guys enjoy it and please let me know what you think :)

_Alec POV_

The darkness began to slip away as Alec slowly gained conscience. When he opened his eyes he was immediately blinded by the bright sunlight of the morning. He blinked a few times to let his eyes adjust to the brightness.

He took in his surroundings, not remembering how he got there or why he was there in the first place. His eyes focused on the figure in front of him, slowly drifting to sleep.

His heart fluttered at the sight of him. He noticed that Magnus was holding his hand, but he didn’t let go. He couldn’t bring himself to.

Just like how he couldn’t bring himself to take Magnus back during the past few weeks.

He knew this would happen if he was close to Magnus like this again. All he wanted was to take Magnus back, all previous worries and doubts and common sense flying out the window. There was no question about it. He knew he would jump at the chance if Magnus asked for him back again. That’s the exact reason he had been avoiding getting to close to him. He didn’t let himself take him back for _weeks_ … because he was afraid. Afraid of what could possibly happen if he did. Alec never wanted to experience the same pain he felt on Christmas, and he couldn’t risk it, no matter how much Magnus loved him, or how much he loved Magnus. But at the same time, his heart ached for Magnus, and it crushed him to see Magnus so… broken. It got harder and harder to keep his distance as time went on. He felt his caution slowly slipping away, going to the wind. And with Magnus so close, gripping his hand like it was all that mattered in the world, it was all he could do not to kiss him right then and there.

He forced himself to take in the rest of the room. It didn’t take long for him to realize he was in the infirmary, with its white walls, white beds, and white floors. He just didn’t understand why he was there, laying in one of those white beds.

And then the memory came flooding back into his mind.

He remembered the cheering of the crowds, the smile on Jace’s face, and his own self joy. He remembered watching Jace’s face fall, his face suddenly screwed up in fear. He remembered the piercing in his shoulder, the welcoming darkness, the scream of his name over the audience. He remembered himself falling to the ground. But most of all, he remembered the pain. That kind of an unbearable pain that has one thinking they’ll die from it. It was like his arm was being ripped off, yet it was still attached to his body. He felt like his arm was on fire, and that fire was traveling throughout his whole body. But this was a fire that sapped his energy, draining him of any strength he had in his body. He remembered how appealing the darkness seemed at that point.

That must be why Alec was in the infirmary. Whatever had struck him had to have had some poison or venom that they injected into his body. But strangely enough, Alec could feel no longer feel any of its effects. Whatever the matron had done clearly worked. The torturous feeling was gone. All that remained was drowsiness. Alec still felt spent, and the effort to stay awake for those past few minutes stole Alec of whatever energy he still possessed in his body.

So, for the second time that morning, he gave himself over to the dark.

 

*                     *                   *

 

 

The first thing Alec noticed when he next woke up was that no one was holding his hand. He opened his eyes slightly and saw that the sky had turned dark, and he noticed Magnus was no longer besides him. Instead, there was a note card on the table next to the bed. Alec sat up in the bed to grab the note, and he opened it:

_Alexander,_

_I told your sister that I would stay by you until you woke up and I fully intended on doing so, but you were asleep for so long and eventually they kicked me out. They let me write this down before I left though. Tell Izzy I’m sorry and I can only hope you will suggest that she doesn’t kill me for breaking my promise._

_I don’t even know if you would have wanted me here, or if you’ll even read this, but I had to try. I’m probably the last person you want to see right now, but I couldn’t stop myself from asking this._

_This Hogsmeade weekend, please, could you meet me at the Shrieking Shack?_

Over the last decade, students have been more daring and have been visiting the Shrieking Shack. They realized that there was nothing to fear. The place lost its appeal, its popularity, so people only went there when they wanted privacy or to prank other students. 

_I know, it’s not the best spot, but I really need to talk to you. Please, can you just hear me out? I know I have no right to ask this of you but… I need to. There’s so much more I want to say, but I want to say it to you, face-to-face._

_I’m so, so sorry, Alec._

_Love,_

_Magnus_

Alec reread the letter several times, committing it to memory, his heart skipping a beat every time he read the word “love”.  His mind was in a war. One side was telling him to go, to be Magnus’s, to make Magnus his again. The other side told him not to go. He knew he wouldn’t be able to control himself if he went, and all caution of the previous month would be for nothing. But he knew this would happen eventually, didn’t he? He saw this coming. He even told Magnus that it wasn’t really over, that he just needed time. And what was the point of waiting any longer. Surely now was as good of a time as ever. Didn’t he already have time enough? His heart surely thought so.

He knew he would go.

The door suddenly burst open, and Alec quickly hid the note under the pillow. He lifted his head to see Izzy and Jace heading towards him, Clary and Simon following not too far behind.

“Alec! You’re awake! Good. How are you feeling? Do you need anything…” Izzy began.

“Izzy, I fine,” Alec intervened.

“Are you sure? Are you sure you’re feeling okay now? You’re not tired or dizzy or…”

“Izzy,” Simon said. “Give him some air.”

“Alec, you had me so worried! Don’t scare me like that!”

“Izzy, I’m fi-”

“Where’s Magnus?” Izzy asked, not listening to anything Alec said. “I told him to wait here until you woke up. I swear-”

“Izzy, it’s fine. They kicked him out,” explained Alec.

Jace stepped towards him. “How are you feeling?”

“Perfectly fine, honestly,” Alec replied. “A lot better than I did a few hours ago.”

Jace’s face flashed with guilt. “I’m so sorry for what happened, Alec.”

“It’s okay…”

“I should have done something.”

“Jace, you did all that you could. It’s not your fault,” Alec said reassuringly.

“I should have prevented it.”

“There was nothing you could have done, Jace. I don’t blame you for what happened. And, see, I’m fine. It all turned out fine.”

“And what if it didn’t?” Jace asked. “What if you had been killed?”

“Jace…”

“I couldn’t live with myself knowing I killed my best friend.”

“Jace,” Alec interrupted. “I. Am. Fine. I wasn’t killed. It doesn’t matter what would have happened, because it didn’t. No need to worry over what _could_ have happened.”

Jace hugged Alec. “Thanks mate. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

“Thanks,” Alec said, smiling. “Hey, how did the rest of the task go anyways?”

The smiles vanished off of everyone’s faces. Simon was first to answer.

“Most of us didn’t get to see the end, since we came here right after you…” He trailed off, everyone already knowing how the sentence would have ended.

“But I had to stay for the rest of it since I’m one of the champions,” Jace said, filling up the silence.  “Viria got first place, with 45 points. She arrived not a minute after us… I only received 35 points.”

“Why?” Alec asked.

“The goal of the task was to make it back with your rescued “hostage” safely, with little to no injuries…”

“Oh…” Alec said, suddenly struck with guilt. “I’m so sorry…”

“It’s not your fault, Alec,” Jace said, waving away his apology. “I could hardly be mad at you for getting hurt.”

“Still, I should have been more careful…”

“No, Alec. Don’t blame yourself,” Jace said, silencing Alec.

“When did Jean get back?” Alec asked after an awkward moment of silence. “When I left with Jace, Jean was nowhere nearby, and Sebastian was still tied up at the top of the tree.”

Clary visibly stiffened when Alec mentioned Sebastian, her normally bright eyes going dark.

“Clary, are you okay,” Simon asked her.

Clary just remained frozen and didn’t say a word.

“Wait,” Alec said. “Do you know Sebastian?”

“His name’s not Sebastian,” she said softly.

“What?” Isabelle asked, confused, while Jace stared at her with concern.

“His name is Jonathan.”

“Wait, when did you even see him?” Jace asked. “You left before he even got back.”

“He approached me earlier today,” Clary said. “But that’s beside the point.” She took in a breath. “Yes, I know him.”

“How?” Jace said, taking a step towards her, protectively.

“I’m not an only child,” Clary began, her head facing the ground. “I had a brother. Well, I _have_ a brother, that is. For the first years of my life, he was everything to me. I loved him. But, one day, when I was seven, something snapped inside of him. He became distant, and anytime someone did approach him, he was so hostile to anyone who tried to talk to him. He ran away within the month.”

“Why didn’t you tell me any of this?” asked Jace.

“Because I thought he was dead!” Clary exclaimed, tearing up. “He was only eight years old; I didn’t know how he could have survived on his own.” A tear slid down her cheek. “I stilled loved him. How could I not? He had been the best brother to me when I was growing up. I thought his sudden change in behavior was because of _me_. But he still treated me better than anyone else, but he just wasn’t as close as before.” She took another deep breath. “I didn’t want to think about what had happened to him. I didn’t want to talk about it. The more I didn’t talk about him, or bring it up, the more I could forget. I knew that if I started to talk about him, I would just fall apart.” She was trembling slightly at this point.

Jace put a hand on her arm, attempting to comfort her, and moved to hug her, but she pulled away, wiping her tears off her face.

“Now I know what happened to him,” she said, lifting her head. “Why he went to France of all places, I have no idea. But he was eventually adopted by Jean’s family, going by the name Sebastian. He seems so different now. He’s nothing like how I remembered him. But as soon as I saw him, I knew it was him. It was like I was seeing a ghost, but worse.  Had this terrifyingly wicked grin that made me want to run as fast as I could, but I needed to know. I needed to know what happened to him, how he was still alive. And, for a brief moment, I was so happy that he was alive. I thought I had my brother back, after years of believing he was dead. But my brother is gone. He was _nothing_ like him.”

“Did he do something to you,” Jace asked, noticing how much more she was trembling.”

 “He started talking about how much I had grown and how pretty I was...”

“Clary…”

She drew a shaky breath. “He tried to kiss me.”

Jace’s eyes hardened at her words. The room fell silent, everyone speechless. Alec’s head was buzzing with thoughts. How could someone ever think about their sibling in _that_ way?

Suddenly everyone spoke at the same time.

“He didn’t…” Isabelle said, shocked.

“What was he thinking? Is he insane?” asked Alec.

“That’s disgusting!” Simon exclaimed.

“I’m going to kill him,” Jace stated seriously.

Clary just shook her head. “It doesn’t matter.”

“ _It doesn’t matter?_ ” said Jace. “Clary, your _brother_ tried to _kiss_ you.”

“This is why I didn’t want to say anything.”

“Clary…”

“Just drop it Jace. He’s going to leave in a couple of days anyway, and I’ll never see him again.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that he _tried to kiss you!_ ” Jace said indignantly.

“Jace, please, just drop it,” Clary begged. She sighed before saying, “I think I’m just going to go to bed now.” He turned around and walked out.

“I’m going to make sure she’s alright,” Jace said absentmindedly before hurrying out. The room fell silent after he was gone.

“So…” Simon said to fill the silence, all the while attempting to change the subject. “Are you sure you’re okay, Alec?”

“I’m fine,” Alec confirmed, repeating the same words for what felt like the millionth time that day.

“Maybe you should stay here for the night, just in case,” Izzy suggested.

“Izzy, I’m fine, I swear,” Alec insisted.

“It’s just one night, Alec. And what’s the point of getting up and out of one bed, only to go to another bed?”

Alec rolled his eyes. “Fine. I’ll stay. But only for you.”

She smiled before leaning forward and placing a kiss on his forehead. “Goodnight, brother.”

“Goodnight Izzy,” said Alec, lying back down on the bed.

She got up, grabbed Simon’s hand, and walked out, leaving Alec alone with his thoughts.

So much had happened that day, all starting with the second task. But no matter where his mind strayed, it always found its way back to one person.

Alec sighed to himself. Why was he always thinking about him? It seemed like his life revolved around him, and everything seemed to be connected to him in some way. Alec knew it would only get worse, no matter what he did. He knew he was going to follow up on Magnus’s request, and there would be nothing to stop him.

So, as Alec lay there, his mind wandering, he slowly drifted into a deep sleep, his last thoughts being of piercing yellow-green eyes.

 

*              *            *

 

That next weekend found Alec standing outside the Shrieking Shack. It was Saturday, and this Hogsmeade weekend just so happened to fall on the 14th of February.

Valentine’s Day.

He took a deep breath before entering the house. His body was filled with nerves and excitement and fear. With every step he took, he knew he was closer to his final decision.

His heart was beating rapidly and his mind was going at a mile a minute. He couldn’t conjure a single coherent thought.

He walked around the house and up the stairs, his pace switching from slow to fast as different emotions took hold, silently raging war against each other. One seconded, he’d be terrified of continuing on, the next he’d be anxious to get to the top.

Finally, he reached the top, and he walked down the hallway until he reached a room with the door open. This was it; it all lead up to this moment. He tried to steady his heart beat and calm his breathing.

He entered the room and immediately spotted Magnus in the far corner of the room, his back facing Alec.  His hair was disheveled, barely any makeup on his face, yet he still looked as beautiful as the day Alec had first laid eyes on him. Alec’s heart leapt upon seeing him, and it was all he could do not to run to him. No, he had to hear what Magnus said before making any rash decisions. He shouldn’t jump to conclusions.

 He stayed by the door for a moment, composing himself and his thoughts, before speaking up. He didn’t say much really. He said the first thing he thought right for the moment. And all he needed to say right then was one simple word, one name. One simple name to break the silence. The same name that has been haunting his every thought over the last month.

“Magnus.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you thought :)
> 
> I don't know if I'll have another chapter out before Christmas, so I'd like to wish you guys a Merry Christmas now just in case. And I hope, to those who celebrate it, that you had a Happy Hanukkah, and also to those who celebrate this next holiday, I hope you have a Happy Kwanzaa. I hope you guys have a wonderful holiday season :)
> 
> And, once again, my alternate ending to the Yule Ball scene is up, and it's titled "Maybe This Christmas". Hope you guys enjoy it :)


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I finally have the next chapter for you :) I hope you guys had a wonderful Christmas, or Hanukkah, or Kwanza, or all three if you celebrate all of them. I wanted to get this chapter out before the New Year's, and I am proud to say that I achieved that goal. Since I gave you a little Christmas gift (Maybe This Christmas), it only felt right that I update this story before 2015 as well.
> 
> I have a new story that I plan to post on New Year's day. It's another Malec AU, but that is all I shall give away for now. I just wanted you guys to know that I have another story I am working on.
> 
> Anyways, back to the story :)

_Magnus POV_

 

“Magnus.”

The name cut through the deafening silence that had surrounded Magnus for the past few hours as he waited. Overwhelmed by nerves, he had spent the most of the time pacing back and forth, going through everything in his head. He doubted Alec would even show, or that he had even bothered to read the letter. But he still had hope. And, as it turned out, that hope was well placed. 

He didn’t even have to turn around to see who called his name. He knew his voice, the very voice that haunted his mind for weeks with the words of “I love you” and goodbyes. He knew it was him.

He wasn’t even sure if Alec would have shown up at all. He was prepared to wait the entire day in that old shack for someone who would never show. But he did show.

Magnus turned towards the direction the voice had come from, and his heart stopped for a moment when he saw him. He looked perfect, as always. He had that kind of natural beauty that could only be described as angelic, a beauty it’s owner failed to acknowledge. His robes were wrapped tightly around him, his black hair tousled, and his deep blue eyes were staring right at him. Magnus let out a sigh of relief. He had read the letter. He was there.

_Alec._

This was the first time they were alone in weeks together (well, besides that morning in the infirmary, but that didn’t really count in Magnus’s mind), and it took every fiber in Magnus’s body not to walk over and pull Alec’s lips to his. _No, I have no right to do that,_ Magnus reminded himself. _You can’t do that to him. Alec deserves better._ _Just tell him what you came to tell him._ But where to start?

“Alec,” Magnus sighed, out loud this time.

Alec shuffled awkwardly from foot to foot. “Well?”

Magnus didn’t know how to start, how to say what he wanted to say. For the first time in a long time, Magnus was speechless. It was so unlike himself, but he just couldn’t think straight with Alec staring down him like that. He tried not to cower under his gaze.

Realizing that Magnus wouldn’t be saying anything anytime soon, Alec said, “Magnus, just say what you wanted to say.”

Nothing.

Alec sighed. “Maybe I’ll just go…” He started to turn to walk away.

“No!” Magnus said. The prospect of Alec walking away before he said anything was enough to snap Magnus out of his muteness. “I mean,” he began, composing himself, making up for the outburst. “Please, don’t go,” he pleaded.

Alec turned back to him, waiting, listening for what he had to say.

Magnus took a deep breath. He had prepared what to say for the past week, think of everything he would need to say and every possibility for how Alec would react. Though it all disappeared a few moments ago, it all came flooding back. It was now or never.

“Look, I know I’m probably the last person you want to talk to…”

“Magnus-”

“Please, just hear me out on this,” Magnus said. He had to say this, without interruptions. He had to get it out.

“Alec, I know you said you weren’t ready to take me back, and I know I said I would wait, but I can’t help but feel as if you never will. It’s been weeks, and you’ve been the same throughout it all. Nothing has changed. And I know you said that you loved me, but I don’t know if you still mean it or if you ever meant it…”

“Wait, no…”

“I’ve missed you like hell Alec,” Magnus continued, as if there was no interruption at all. “And I know it’s my own fault for pushing you away. It’s just, as I watched you fall in the task, it was the most terrifying feeling I’ve ever felt. I was so worried that you were going to die out there! And I would have had to watch you die. All could think about is how I don’t want to lose you. But I think I already did, just in a different way. As I sat next to you in the infirmary, waiting for you to wake up, I couldn’t help but think that you wouldn’t even want me there when you woke up. You deserve so much more than someone like me.”

“Magnus…”

“Alec, I don’t know how you could ever forgive me, and I am a terrible person for asking that of you, but I need you there. And I can’t wait on the sidelines for you if you will never return to me. So, please Alec, let me know truly, if you will ever take me back. Do you still love me? Because if the answer is no, I need you to tell me now. Just get it over with. I can’t wait in the dark like this anymore. If there is any hope for you and me, would you be willing to go for it? Now? Because it’s now or never…” He trailed off, keeping his eyes locked with Alec’s. His eyes gave away nothing, his face blank, hiding all emotion. 

“You know, never mind. This is too much to ask of someone. I shouldn’t even be asking this of you. I should have never even asked you to meet me here. I don’t know what I was thinking…” Magnus decided.

“No, Magnus…”

“I don’t even know why you came,” Magnus said, more to himself. 

“Magnus,” Alec said a little louder.

“I should probably just go,” Magnus said softly as he started to walk towards the door at the other end of the room.

“Magnus!” Alec called urgently, but Magnus didn’t stop. He couldn’t face him, not now. He might just fall apart. He couldn’t…

All of a sudden, he felt a warm hand on his, pulling him back, turning him around.

And then Alec’s sweet lips met Magnus’s. 

Magnus didn’t even have to think; his body seemed to act on its own accord. He leaned into the kiss, savoring every moment as if it were his last. 

Alec pulled back a second later and leaned his forehead against Magnus’s.

Magnus, however delighted he felt, was confused as to why Alec had even kissed him. “Why did you…?”

Alec crashed their lips together again for a moment, effectively shutting Magnus up.

“Now, will you please _listen_ to me?” he gasped.

Magnus, at lost for words, simply nodded his head slightly. 

“Good,” Alec said with a smile. “Magnus, first of all, you are not the last person I want to see. If that were true, why would I have even come here? No, Magnus, you are the _only_ person I want to see.” His smile widened. “Second, as to why I’m here,” he took a deep breath before continuing, “…is because I missed you as well. I missed you every single day. I forgave you a long time ago.”

“Then why didn’t you say…”

“Because I was still scared that the same thing would happen again. I was worried you would leave me, and I was still so worried that you were just leading me on. And I couldn’t risk it, no matter how much I wanted to take you back. But I can’t do it for any longer. I can’t stay away.” He looked up at Magnus, his blue eyes filled with hope. “I love you, Magnus Bane. I love you.”

“But how could you,” Magnus questioned, breaking their gaze, looking down. “I broke your heart. I kissed Camille.”

Alec turned his head up and kissed him again. “You made a mistake. We all do.” 

Magnus turned his head down again out of disbelief. Though it was all he wanted, how could Alec take him back after that?

“Hey, look at me,” Alec said. After a few seconds of feeling Alec’s eyes on his head, Magnus obeyed.

“Do you love me?” Alec asked.

“What?” Magnus asked, confused at the question.

“Do. You. Love. Me?” Alec asked again.

“What do you mean, do I love you? Yes! Of course I do, but what-”

“Say it.”

“Alexander Lightwood, I love you,” Magnus answered, meaning every word.

“Then that is all I need to know.” Alec smiled, and this time Magnus returned it. 

Magnus leaned forward to capture Alec’s long awaited lips with his. Their lips moved slowly together for a moment. However, the weeks apart seemed to have built up a lot of anticipation and tension, as it didn’t take long for the kiss to turn more heated. 

One of Magnus’s hands was on Alec’s neck, while the other was on the small of his back, pulling his body flush up against his. Alec’s fingers were tangled in Magnus’s hair, tugging softly, releasing soft moans from Magnus. He pushed Alec up against the nearest wall, allowing his mind to lose itself in Alec, in the feeling of his fingers in his hair, his hard body pressed up against Magnus’s, his soft lips moving in a quick rhythm with Magnus’s. He had forgotten just how much he missed this, how much he needed this. He snaked his tongue out, licking Alec’s lips, teasing silently for an entrance, to which Alec quickly granted. He explored every sweet part of Alec’s mouth before breaking the connection to slowly make his way down his cheek, along his jaw line, and down his neck. He placed kisses along the way, whispering “I love you” between every single one, relishing in the delighted shiver that ran through Alec’s body each time Magnus’s breath ghosted over Alec’s skin. Every touch was electrifying. Alec leaned his head to one side, giving Magnus better access, to which Magnus immediately took advantage of. He kissed and bit softly at the newly exposed skin, not caring that he would probably leave a hickey. After all this time, he finally had Alec back. Alec was finally his again. Magnus was where he needed to be, in Alec’s arms. He was where he belonged.

With his hands still in Magnus’s hair, Alec pulled his head up, crashing their lis together once more. They moved together in a fluid motion. Magnus pulled Alec closer to him, wrapping his arms tightly around him, never wanting to let him go again.

Before long, Alec pulled away, resting their foreheads together, their breaths mingling in the cold February air.

“I love you,” Alec whispered softly, looking up at Magnus through his long, dark lashes, his blue eyes tempting Magnus to drown in them.

“I love you too, darling,” Magnus whispered back with a soft smile.

Alec’s cheeks pinked at the nickname, making Magnus’s heart flutter. “I… Does this mean… are we together again?” Alec asked nervously.

Magnus couldn’t hold back the soft chuckle. _He’s just too cute!_ he thought to himself. “If you want us to be. I do believe the decision is up to you,” he answered.

“Yes,” he confirmed. “I take you back. I want us to be together.”

“Then your wish is my command,”Magnus stated, grinning from ear to ear. He pressed his lips to Alec’s, feeling him smile into the kiss.

When at long last they broke apart, Magnus grabbed Alec’s hand, intertwining their fingers together, and the two walked together out of the Shrieking Shack. Magnus was on cloud nine, he didn't think it would have gone so well,not that he was complaining. He looked over at his smiling boyfriend, allowing himself to fully appreciate how lucky he was. Alec had forgiven him, despite everything. He truly was amazing.

“Did I ever tell you how beautiful you are?” Magnus teased.

Alec blushed. “I think you might’ve said it once or twice. Not that it’s true.”

“Hmmm, then I guess haven’t said it enough,” he decided.

Alec rolled his eyes, waving away Magnus’s statement.

“I’m only stating the truth, darling. You are beautiful…”

“Am not,” Alec interrupted.

“And wonderful, and charming, and smart, and kind, and just perfect.”

“Magnus…” Alec trailed off, his hair falling in his eyes, however his flushed skin was still quite visible.

“I love it when you blush. It’s too adorable,” Magnus told him with a wink.

“You are quite stubborn, aren’t you?” Alec stated with a shy laugh.

“You love it,” Magnus told him, still smiling.

“I know.”

Magnus kissed him on the cheek, and they continued to make their way back to the castle, Magnus doing what he does best, flirting and teasing the whole way  back. For the first time in weeks, he was truly happy. Nothing else mattered in the world. Hand in hand with Alec, Magnus let himself enjoy the moment, forgetting the problems of the past and his worries for the future. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it. My New Year's gift to you. I hope 2014 was a great year for you, and I hope 2015 will be even better. Because, just like now in the story, the time is ripe for new beginnings :)
> 
> Goodbye, 2014!


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! I know I know, it's been a while. I've just been really busy with school work. It's like the teachers all decided that coming back from the break means we should have mountains of work to make up for the lost time. Not to mention, I have all my midterms this week, including one for PE. Who decided that we need to take an exam in gym?
> 
> Anyways, In case you didn't already know, I have a new story up! It's a Malec AU (of course), and it's titled "Something Good". I already have the first chapter posted, if you guys are interested. Oh! And the Blackthorn kids shall be included as well! I also have other stories planned for the future so it's looking to be a good year :)
> 
> Just wanted to let you know that, so anyways, on with the story!

_Alec's POV_

 

The next morning, as Alec walked into the Great Hall, he was still on the high of the happiness of the day before. He had forgotten just how much he missed the feeling of Magnus's arms around him and the taste of him on his lips. The second he kissed Magnus, all of his doubts and worries slipped away. Finally, something was going right in his life again.

The second he spotted Jace's golden head, Alec made his way to where he was seated and plopped down across from him, still smiling from ear to ear.

"Someone's happy," commented Simon on Alec's right.

"What's got you in such a good mood, dear brother?" Izzy asked. "It wouldn't have anything to do with, oh, I don't know, Magnus?"

At the mention of Magnus, Jace turned his head away from Clary, with whom he was previously conversing.

Alec just shrugged before grabbing a biscuit and proceeding to butter it. Still grinning, he replied, "Maybe."

"Alec," Jace began. "You're not dating him again, are you? Tell me you didn't take him back."

Alec was taken aback. "Yes…" he said slowly. "Why?"

"Alec," Jace groaned. "He's not good for you."

"What do you mean he's not good for me?"

"He cheated on you for God's sake!"

"He explained it all to me, Jace. It was a mistake."

"Yeah, like that's believable," Jace mumbled, causing everyone to gasp.

Alec couldn't take it. "Why do you hate him so much?"

"It's not that I hate him…"

"It kind of seems like it…" Simon put in, receiving a glare from Jace.

Turning back to Alec, Jace continued, "I just don't want to see you get hurt… again."

Everyone fell silent. Suddenly, Jace's reaction didn't seem too unreasonable. He was just worried about Alec.

Alec was the first to break the silence. "Jace, thanks for having my back, but, don't worry, it won't happen again. At least I hope not…" Alec shook his head, "I wish you would just give him a chance."

"I did," Jace replied. "And he broke your heart, and I'm sorry if I'm not too lenient on giving him the chance to do it again.

"Jace…"

"Alec, I just want you to be happy. And if he makes you happy, fine, that's great and all. But you can't expect me to be happy about it, nor can you expect me to trust him. Not after what he did." Everyone fell fell silent, not knowing what to say, before Jace sighed. "Speak of the devil."

Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, Alec felt Magnus place a peck on his cheek.

"Good morning, beautiful," Magnus said softly before slipping into the empty space on Alec's left.

Alec blushed. Clearly, Magnus was taking full advantage of Alec's current position of being out of the closet.

"Good morning, Magnus," Alec replied with a smile.

"Well, I have to go read something up in the library for Hodge's class," Jace said, getting up from the table. "I'll see you all later." He glanced at Magnus before saying politely, a little too coldly, "Bane." And with that he grabbed his bag and walked away. Clary and Izzy moved closer together to fill up the now empty place.

An awkward silence surrounded the group. Magnus turned to Alec and leaned close before whispering, "Did I miss something?"

Alec tried to focus on the question at hand rather than the way Magnus's breath had ghosted over his skin.

"I'll explain later," Alec whispered back.

"So…" Magnus said, addressing the rest of the group, clearly attempting to break the silence.

"Oh, Clary," Alec said, suddenly remembering the conversation from the infirmary. "Any updates on Sebastian?"

"Who?" Magnus asked.

"He's Jean's adopted brother, the one Jean had to save in the second task," Alec explained. "He's also…"

"My brother," Clary finished, her tone hard as rock.

Magnus looked momentarily confused. He turned to Clary and asked, "You have a brother?"

"I used to," she responded. "But Sebastian is not Jonathan."

"I'm sorry, can you back it up a little?" Magnus asked.

"When I was seven, my brother Jonathan ran away from home, and no one knew why. We thought he had died, because how can a little eight year old survive on his own? Now I know that, somehow, he made his way to France before he was adopted by Jean's family, going by the name of Sebastian. But he's no longer Jonathan.

"What do you mean?" Magnus questioned.

Izzy filled in for Clary. "He tried to kiss her."

Magnus looked stunned. "That's messed up," was all he seemed capable of saying.

"You're telling me," Alec said. "I can't even image what would ever cause me to kiss Izzy."

"That's because you're gay," Simon pointed out, receiving a shove from Izzy.

"Even if I wasn't gay I'd be appalled at the idea."

"I think that's just because you'd much rather be kissing me," Magnus said. Alec didn't have to ask to know his cheeks were flushed.

Conversation soon flowed easily at the table. As it turns out, Clary had just avoided Sebastian all week. However, he was staying for the rest of the year, much to everyone's distaste. Everyone agreed they wouldn't let him get close to Clary again.

It wasn't long before Clary got up to find Jace and everyone headed their separate ways, each off to fulfill their Sunday plans. As soon they were out of the Great Hall, Alec felt Magnus pull him into the nearest empty room. As soon as the door closed behind them, Magnus latched his lips onto Alec's, pushing him against the wall, kissing him like there was no tomorrow. The action stole Alec's breath away, not that he was complaining.

"I waited all morning to do that," Magnus whispered to him, leaning their foreheads together. "I missed you so much."

"Magnus, we just saw each other last night," Alec said with a chuckle.

"It felt like a lot longer," Magnus whispered back, his eyes sparkling. "Besides, I'm making up for lost time." Magnus kissed him again.

"Well, I can't object to that," Alec said smiling.

Magnus gave him a smile in return, before he seemed to remember something. His smile faltered for a brief moment before he asked, "So, what was it that I missed this morning?"

"It wasn't really important," Alec said, trying to avoid the topic. He didn't feel like mentioning what Jace had said.

"It seemed like it," Magus replied, disbelievingly. "What happened?"

"You really don't want to know."

"Alec," Magnus said, staring at him intently. It was clear he wasn't giving up any time soon.

"It really wasn't anything," Alec began. "It's just, Jace doesn't approve of our relationship."

"Is that all? Because you know I don't care what anyone thinks."

"No, it's not."

"Alec, what did he say?"

"He thinks you're not good for me," Alec admitted. "And that you're just going to break my heart again. I mean, he shouldn't have said that, he doesn't have a say in our relationship, but he's just looking out for me and he doesn't want me to be hurt again—he's just being the best friend he always is— and it means a lot that he cares so much and—"

"I get it," Magnus cut him off.

"What?"

"I get it," Magnus repeated. "He has every right to think that. As much as I hate to admit it, Goldilocks is right. I broke your heart, and yours and their trust. It's going to take me a while to gain that back."

Magnus put his hand on Alec's cheek, his thumb brushing Alec's cheek. The touch was soft, warm, safe… and Alec leaned into it. "And I'm just going to have to prove to them that I won't make the same mistake twice."

Alec sighed. "What did I ever do to deserve such a wonderful boyfriend?"

Magnus grinned his signature grin. "I ask myself that everyday," he replied, pulling Alec in for another kiss. When they separated a moment later, he added, "Now, come on. It's warm outside for a February, and I'm not going to waste it cooped up in this castle."

He grabbed Alec's hand, their fingers intertwining in a symphony of white and caramel.

* * *

 

Magnus had taken Alec to what he claimed was his favorite spot by the Black Lake. As Alec sat between Magnus's legs, leaning against his chest, he could see why. From where they sat, the lake expanded in front of them, and a little ways after it ended were the mountains. From where they were sitting, they would have the perfect view of the sunset if they chose to stay until then. There were a few trees around them, much like the one Magnus was leaning against, which were perfect for those hot sunny days in June or early September. When the sun was high, one could be shaded while still enjoying the summer weather.

Alec closed his eyes, trying to imagine the scene in the summer, with the green grass around the lake, the water sparkling with the sunlight, the sky a crystal blue with the occasional white cloud passing by.

Beautiful.

Alec felt Magnus's arms tighten, pulling him closer to Magnus. Magnus rested his head on Alec's shoulder, placing a quick peck on his cheek.

"So, what do you think?" Magnus asked him.

"It's beautiful. I can't believe I've never been here in all my seven years! You'd think I was a first year."

Alec felt Magnus laugh more than he heard it, the vibrations traveling through his body, the sound a mere whisper in his ear.

They both watched the small waves of the lake in silence for a moment before Magnus spoke up.

"Have I ever told you the story of how I saved Raphael from drowning in the lake?" he asked.

Alec look at him incredulously. "Did you, now?"

Magnus nodded. "Yep. It was my fourth year, and it was his first. Him and the other first years thought it would be fun to get in some of the boats and see if they could find the Giant Squid. They were trying to prove to some other first years that the Giant squid was real, and not just a myth. So, Raphael and two others hopped in three boats, one for each, and sailed out to the middle of the lake."

"They must've been there for hours before Raphael's friends decided to head back. But Raphael was quite stubborn and said he wouldn't leave until he saw it. So he stayed out in the middle of the lake."

"By then, my friends had gathered to see if the squid would appear. We knew of the squid's existence, but we were mostly there to see the young boy's reaction, and because we were walking by and had nothing better planned."

"Suddenly, he leaned further over his boat, looking into the water before looking up, joy written all over his face. 'I saw it!' he yelled. He looked over agin, but this time he leaned too far. The boat tipped over, dumping Raphael in the water with a splash."

"For a moment, we all just laughed at his ridiculous display. But then I noticed him struggling, and it clicked. He couldn't swim. So I did the only thing that seemed logical at the moment: I swam into the lake. Luckily, he wasn't that far from where I was so I was just able to get him out in time."

"And so began our friendship," Magnus finished with a air of finality, as if he were a storyteller.

"I never knew you were so heroic," Alec teased.

"You weren't supposed to," Magnus said. "It was supposed to be a secret. You see, I'm secretly a superhero."

Alec laughed. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me," he swore. "So, you go around saving civilians from the everyday evils of the world?"

"Yep."

"So, what does that make me?"

Magnus smirked. "Well, every superhero needs a damsel in distress."

Alec punched his arm lightly, Magnus feigning hurt before smiling again.

"Just kidding," he said, turning his head down to kiss Alec's neck softly before placing one on his cheek. By then, Alec had turned his head to meet Magnus's for a kiss. Alec could feel Magus smile into the kiss, and he could feel himself smile in response. Everything seemed right for once. Alec wanted to live in that moment forever.

"Well, aren't you too just adorable," a sarcastic voice said from behind them.

Guess we can't always get what we wish for.

Alec turned his head towards the voice of the person he least wanted so see. The person with silver-blonde hair and bright green eyes, with skin about the same shade as his own.

_Camille._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you think she was done? Of course not, she's Camille!
> 
> Anyways, once again, my new story "Something Good" is up if you want to read it... and let me know what you think, maybe? Thanks in advanced, and thanks to you all for the lovely reviews and the follows and favorites. you guys are amazing, thank you so much for your support. This time last year, I would have never thought to start writing anything because I thought I couldn't write, but you guys opened me to a world of experiences and opportunities to just let my imagination run wild. It's a great way to improve my writing, and I found a new passion of mine. So, thank you all so much :)


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, it's been a while. I'm a terrible person. I hope the wait wasn't too long to you guys. Sorry :(  
> And this chapter is shorter than all the other capters. Sorry again :(

_Magnus POV_

  


“Well, aren’t you two just adorable.”

Magnus turned his head in the direction of the voice, feeling Alec stiffen in his arms, to find Camille smirking at them.

“What do you want, Camille?” Magnus asked her.

“Oh, nothing,” she replied sweetly.

“Then what are you doing here?” 

“I’m just showing our guest around.” She smiled as a figure with white-blonde hair stepped out from behind the trees.

“Sebastian,” Alec said.

“Oh, ‘ello, Alec.”

“You know each other?” Camille asked him.

“‘E was in ze second task vith me. ‘E was ze annoying one I was telling you about.”

Camille giggled at that. “Oh, yes, now I remember. Sorry, it’s just, the boy always skips my mind.”

“You know, I’m right here,” Alec huffed out. Camille just ignored him.

“What is he doing here, Camille,” Magnus asked her. 

“I told you, I was just showing him around.”

“To our secret spot? The one we don’t show anyone, not since we found it?”

“You didn’t seem to mind,” Camille replied, gesturing towards Alec.

“He’s different. We are dating after all. Or did that slip your mind too?” Magnus shot back. “Sebastian, on the other hand; you barely know him.”

“Cammie was kind enough to give me ze full tour,” Sebastian interrupted, slipping his arm around Camille’s waist, placing a kiss on her cheek.

“Oh, finally stopped chasing after Clary, did you,” Alec said, glaring at him. “Are you finally over incest then? Or are you just using ‘Cammie’ over here as a distraction?”

Sebastian glared at him. “You’re one to talk,” he snapped, looking Alec and Magnus up and down like they were something he found on the bottom of his shoe. “You are disgusting, both of you.”

“Careful now, Bash, one of them is my friend,” Camille said.

“You mean _was_ your friend,” Magnus put in.

Camille glared at him before turning to Alec. “But Bash is right, Alec.”

Magnus pulled Alec closer. “Don’t listen to them.”

“What would your parents say?” Camille taunted. “I can’t even imagine how they’d react when they find out that their son is a _fag_.” Magnus felt Alec’s body stiffen even more at the word. Camille smiled sweetly at his reaction before adding, “Well, I guess it’s good that they won’t find out anytime soon. I mean, how would they ever find out while you were at school?” She turned back to Sebastian. “Come on, Bash, let’s go.”

As the two walked away, Alec disentangled himself from Magnus’s grasp. He stood up, walked towards the water’s edge, and sat down again, pulling his knees to his chest in silence.

The distance was small, but it felt like they were miles apart. Magnus immediately got up and rushed over to him, slowing down when he was close. He sat down next to Alec and immediately noticed how the other boy moved away from him.

“Alec?” Magnus whispered unsurely. 

Alec said nothing in response.

“Alec?” Magnus tried again.

Nothing.

Then, a faint mumble.

“I knew this would happen.”

Magnus looked over at Alec, who now had his azure eyes focused on the far shoreline. Magnus could see a war raging in those eyes he loved so much. “What?” he asked.

“I knew something like this would happen if I came out.” He still refused to look at Magnus.

“Alec,” Magnus said. “Alec, look at me.” Magnus sighed when all Alec did was turn away. “Alec, don’t listen them. It doesn’t matter what they think. You can’t let them get to you.”

“It’s not just that,” Alec sighed. “What Camille said, about my parents… she’s right. I’m… _terrified_ of what they might think. They’re so closed-minded about everything. All they want is to have their perfect family and for me to be their perfect son. It was hard enough for them to accept that I wasn’t sorted into Gryffindor. Who knows what they’ll say about this?” A tear slid down his cheek. “I just don’t want to disappoint them. Not again.”

“Oh, Alec,” Magnus said. “Come here,” he told him, opening his arms.

Alec turned and fell into his embrace. Magnus pulled him close, wrapping his arms tightly around him. He hated seeing Alec upset. He hated that Alec was raised to be ashamed of himself, that he thinks so lowly of himself. Alec didn’t deserve that, he deserved so much more. Magnus just wanted to wish all those problems away.

“Alec, it might take a while, but your parents will accept you. If they truly love you, there is no reason they shouldn’t,” Magnus said over his shoulder. “And, you know there is no way they could find out anytime soon. You can come out on your own time to them. And when you do, I’m sure they’ll still love you just the same.

“And what if they don’t?” Alec asked, pulling back to look at Magnus. “What if they hate me, or they kick me out and disown me?”

“That’s not going to happen. And if it did, then it’s their loss,” Magnus answered, cupping his face with his hand, wiping away his tear, his locked gaze with Alec unwavering. “Because they’ll be turning away the most wonderful person in the world. And I can’t think of anyone who would be stupid enough to do that.”

Alec tackled him with a hug, catching Magnus off guard. “Thank you,” he whispered into Magnus’s ear.

“No problem, anything for you, sweetheart.” Magnus felt Alec’s grasp tighten. “And, Alec, you know, whatever happens, I love you. I’ll always be there for you.”

Alec turned his head and capture Magnus’s lips with his own. “I know,” Alec whispered into the kiss.

He pulled away suddenly and said, “Race you to the castle.” And before Magnus could even register his words, Alec was up and running back to the school.

“That sneaky devil,” Magnus muttered, watching Alec run. “You might have gotten a head start, but I’m still gonna win!” Magnus yelled at him as he started to run.

“No you won’t!” Alec called over his shoulder.

The two ran back to the castle without a care in the world. Neither knew or cared what the rest of their friends had been up to that day. The sun was setting and it looked like the perfect ending to a day. Magnus couldn’t think of anywhere he’d rather be, and he didn’t think anything could ruin the way he felt in that moment.

He didn’t know, nor did he suspect, what was the real reason Camille and Sebastian were there that afternoon. It wouldn’t be long until he found out.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think you'll like this chapter, at least by the end *hint hint* :)  
> Also, if you didn't know already, I have another Malec story that I started, if you want to check it out. It's an AU, of course, and it's called "Something Good" and it features characters from The Dark Artifices (*cough* Blackthorns and Emma *cough*) and The Bane Chronicles as well :)

_Alec POV_

 

The rest of February and March flew by in a blur. 

It was getting closer and closer to the end of the year, which only meant one thing for Alec, as well as the rest of the 7th year: N.E.W.T.’s. And seeing as this was the final step in their school career to help them pursue certain careers (and, not to mention, these tests were _nastily exhausting_ ), everyone was cracking down on their books, sooner than later.

Of course, all the other years had to take their finals, and the 5th years had to take their O.W.L.’s. Even Jace had to take it, because even though Triwizard Champions were excused from all other exams so as to have more time preparing for the tasks, the O.W.L.’s were mandatory to decide which classes each student would be eligible for come their 6th year. Of course the test would be pushed back for him, but now he had to study for the test as well as prepare for the third and final task. And he surely didn’t mind reminding you of that. As soon as anyone complained about their exams and how they have no time, he was there to one up you on the too-busy-and-stressed-to-do-anything-else scale.

Not to mention, all the teachers seemed to think that the nearing exams meant that they should increase the amount of work assigned. The students barely had a moment to breathe. When they weren’t doing essays, they were practicing spells; when they weren’t practicing spells, they were finishing worksheets from class; when they weren’t doing worksheets, they were studying. They were drowning in papers, broken quills, notes, and text books.

Alec and Magnus barely had time to spend together, so they resolved to helping each other study or just working side-by-side in the library. At first, Magnus would take any opportunity he could to distract Alec, or so it seemed that way to Alec. Alec would finally have a moment to himself and Magnus would rest his head on Alec’s shoulder, come up and wrap his arms around Alec, complain about being bored or tired, throw small pieces of paper at Alec, saying that he only wanted to see Alec’s eyes again…; basically he would do anything he could to get Alec’s attention. Alec, however, was determined not to give in. He knew Magnus didn’t want to do his work, that he thought they still had plenty of time. But if Alec gave in, he knew he would regret it later. So, he did his best to ignore Magnus.

Needless to say, it didn’t always work.

However, as the weeks passed by, Magnus seemed to realize that he was running out of time. The distractions became fewer and fewer, so the two used any brief moment they had to spend with each other. But still, it wasn’t enough. Alec couldn’t wait until testing was over.

Thankfully, it wasn’t nearly the time when people would start studying during meals, though Alec knew the time would creep up on them before they realized it. Everyone cherished those few moments of peace they had during meals, although a lot of it was spent complaining and feeling envy towards the years that didn’t have so much work. They had no idea how lucky they were. 

Over the last two months or so, Alec had practically forgotten the encounter with Camille and Sebastian. But he would soon be reminded of it. 

It was on one Sunday morning when it was brought to the front of his mind again, all with the help of one newspaper headline.

Alec walked down the corridors to the Great Hall more awake then he had been the past week. He had finished all of his homework the day before and decided to save the studying for today in favor of going to bed a little early. Not to mention, he had slept in as well. He was pretty sure he would be one of the last to arrive for breakfast, and he knew he missed the owl post. Oh well, his mail always went to Izzy when he wasn’t there.

Almost as soon as he stepped through the door his sister rushed up to him. As soon as Alec saw her, he knew something was wrong. 

“Alec, um, there’s something you should know,” she said nervously, walking backwards in front of him, clearly trying to slow him down.

“What is it Izzy?” Alec asked, as his mind immediately went to the worst. “Did something happen to Max? To our parents?”

“No, not that,” she said quickly. “But I just thought you should know a little beforehand. I mean, I’m sure it will all be fine, and you really shouldn’t over react because it’s not the end of the world.” 

“Izzy, what happened?” By then they had arrived at their table, and Izzy’s eyes were filled with an unspoken apology.

“You didn’t tell him, did you Izzy?” Simon asked. “Well, there’s no point in hiding it. Take a look for yourself.”

He passed over the folded Sunday edition of the _Daily Prophet_ and Alec’s eyes widened as they landed on the headline. 

**LIGHTWOOD NAME DISGRACED BY ELDEST SON**

The headline was followed by an image of Alec and Magnus kissing by the Black Lake.

Now, you might be wondering why this would make the headline in the _Daily Prophet._ Well, while the students at Hogwarts were completely accepting of differing sexualities, the rest of the Wizarding World held the same ideas and morals of the past. They were a little slow to accept, even as the Muggle World was becoming more accepting by the day. And, to see the son of such a well known and respected family was nothing less than the headline said: a disgrace. 

The Lightwood family was a rich and powerful one. With both parents working in the Ministry of Magic, the family had a lot of influence in the runnings of the government. And Alec knew what this news would mean for his parents. They would lose some of their influence, fewer officials will listen to them; their name would lose the respect it had spent centuries building. And his parents would blame Alec for it all, not even taking into account the support they would gain from the LGBT community in the Wizarding World. 

All Alec could think about as he stared at the paper was what his parents would think. This was not what he wanted. He had planned to come out to them eventually, of course, but in his own time. He never imagined they would find out by a newspaper. Oh God, what if they were interviewed about this? What would they think of him now? Alec knew they shared the same ideas as the rest of the Wizarding World, despite what Magnus told him, but he had hoped that, if he approached the conversation right, they would accept him… eventually. Now, having to learn that type of thing about your own children through a newspaper or from reporters, along with the rest of the civilization, he didn’t know what they would do or say. His world was crashing down around him, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

“H-how…why…who?” Alec asked, not quite able to get a full question out.

“It get’s worse,” Jace said softly, opening the paper to the page with the full article. It read:

* * *

 

**LIGHTWOOD NAME DISGRACED BY ELDEST SON**

 

_The Lightwood family is well known for their hard work, their intelligence, and their bravery. They are widely respected in the community and seem to have their lives all worked out to perfection. Robert Lightwood and his wife, Marse Lightwood, heads of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, have worked to the top and deliver nothing but the best. They have strong influence over their colleges in theirs and other departments. Everyone knows how trusty worthy they are, and everyone knows how talented their kids are as well. They are expected to be just as, if not more, successful as their parents. Until now._

_It may be hard to believe, but it seems the Lightwood family is not as perfect as they come off. Their eldest son, 17 year old Alexander Lightwood, is a homosexual._

_As seen in the picture above, provided by a source that prefers to remain anonymous, Alexander Lightwood, best friend of Triwizard contestant, Jace Herondale, has been having an affair with a fellow student, a student of the same sex. In the picture above, he can be seen kissing said student._

_But what does this mean for the Lightwood family? As you know, this is widely unacceptable behavior. This could affect their reputation in the Ministry. Many of the other heads, including the Minister himself, have publicly announced their distaste towards homosexuals. Several of these heads have close associations with the Lightwoods. It seems the Lightwood influence might not be as strong as it once was._

_When asked about the matter, Robert Lightwood said, “We knew nothing of this, and we know our children. These are just rumors, and that image is a fake. My son would never do such a thing. He knows better than to be a fag.”_

_But it seems that this picture is not a fake. the information comes from a very credible source, one also from a powerful family. So, why did Alexander start dating another male if, as assumed by his parents, he is not gay? Was he just trying to rebel against his parents, to spite them? These are his teenage years, after all. One can only hope that this matter is cleared up and Alexander is not really a homosexual, for it could cost his parent’s their jobs._

* * *

 

Alec couldn’t find anything to say. He just fell into his spot at the table, speechless. Izzy sat down next to him and wrapped her arms around her brother.

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, Alec, are you okay?” Magnus asked.

When Alec didn’t say anything, Magnus slipped into the open spot next to him and Jace handed him the newspaper.

“Oh my god, Alec,” Magnus said. Alec could see a mix of emotions in his cat-like eyes; anger, shock, and sadness, all jumbled up together, making quick flashes. 

“Who would even do such a thing?” Izzy asked.

“I don’t kn-” Magnus paused, as if realizing something suddenly. His eyes darkened and only one emotion was left raging in his eyes; anger. “I should have known.”

“Magnus, wait, do you know who did this?” Jace asked seriously.

“Camille,” he growled in response.

“Wait-Camille? But how did she-” Izzy asked.

“That day by the lake,” Magnus responded. “Camille came by with Sebastian and she she was giving him a tour…” he explained. “That’s why she was really there! She must’ve had a camera on her and put a spell on it so we wouldn’t hear it when she took the picture. God, I should have known!”

“Magnus, this isn’t your fault,” Alec reassured his boyfriend. 

“I still should have…” Magnus replied.

“No,” Alec cut him off. “There was nothing you could have done. This is not your fault.”

“He’s right, Magnus, this isn’t your fault. It’s Camille’s,” Izzy commented. “That bitch! I swear, when I see her…”

“Well, how are you guys this morning,” a voice said from behind Alec. “Interesting stuff in the paper today, did you see?”

“What do you want from me Camille?” Alec growled, standing up to look at her.

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean,” he said, grabbing the newspaper and holding it up to her. “Why did you do this? What have I ever done to you?” By then Magnus, Izzy, Simon and Jace had all joined him and were standing around him.

“Oh, that? That wasn’t me,” Camille replied sweetly. “I mean, you guys were at it for a long time, anyone could have walked by and taken that picture.”

“Do you think were idiots?” Magnus tested. “We all know you did it.”

“You have no proof,” she shrugged

“I’ve had enough of her,” Izzy said. “Should I?” she asked her brother.

“No, Izzy,” Alec said.

“The fag’s right,” Camille commented. “The slut wouldn’t want to chip a nail.”

_SMACK_

Izzy had slapped her. No one saw it coming. Alec, Simon, Magnus, and Jace were looking at her in shock, and Camille was glaring daggers at her, her face marked with a bright red shape of a hand.

“That was for my brother,” she said. And then…

_SMACK_

“And no one calls me a slut, you bitch.” Izzy finished with a satisfied smirk.

“Oh, so you play dirty, I see,” Camille said, and she pounced on Izzy.

A crowd had gathered to watch and now they got to watch as the two girls wrestled on the ground, pulling each other’s hair, as Alec, Magnus, Simon, and Jace tried to break the two up in vain.

“GIRLS! MY OFFICE! NOW!” A voice called over the crowd. It was the Ghost-studies professor, but Alec never had her class, and he couldn’t quit remember her name.

Izzy and Camille separate and got off the ground, their hair in a mess. Both girls crossed their arms and headed towards the professor.

The crowd dispersed, Simon going to follow Izzy and wait outside the professor’s office. Alec remained standing there for a moment, trying to get over the moment, before he too sat down. Despite everything else that happened, Alec couldn’t help but feel happy that Camille finally got what she deserved. 

“How are you doing Alec?” Magnus asked, his voice full of concern.

“I don’t know,” he answered. “I mean, there’s nothing I can do. What’s done is done. i’m actually kind of relieved that it is out and over with but… I just wish I could have had more time. I wish I could have told them myself, in my own time. And, now I’m worried about what my parents will say. You saw what my dad said. he hates the idea of me being gay.”

“Alec, no matter what happens, I’ll be here for you,” Magnus said.

“Same here, mate,” Jace chimed in.

“I know,” Alec sighed. “Thank you.”

“For what?” Magnus and Jace asked at the same time.

“For _always_ being there when I most need it. I can always count on you.”

“Of course,” Magnus said.

“It’s what I’m here for,” Jace added. “I know you’d do the same for me.”

“Yeah,” Alec confirmed.

“And, you know Izzy and Max will still love you, no matter what your parents think.”

“Everything will be fine, we’ll make sure of it,” Magnus concluded. 

“Are you sure?” Alec asked him.

“I promise it,” Magnus said, grabbing Alec’s hand, intertwining their fingers. “We’ll get through this. Together.”

And Alec believed him. For once in his life, he believed everything would be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what did you think?


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What? An update? That's weird

_Magnus POV_

How could it be that even the best of moments could be ruined by one small thing?

In truth, this particular moment was not one that seemed of much importance to others. It was just another morning in the Great Hall, Magnus and Alec seated besides each other, the latter of the two part-taking in the table's conversation while the former held his hand, drawing random shapes and words on the back of his hand. Not any big moment at all, but to Magnus, it was just another one of the moments he loved.

He loved seeing the smile on Alec's face, free of worry or sadness. He loved the openness he could have with Alec, how comfortable he was with it all; he could take Alec's hand freely without worry and Alec would be content with it. he loved hearing Alec laugh or simply talk about nothing; Magnus just loved to hear his voice laced with confidence and cheerfulness.

But, of course, the moment was ruined, ruined by one owl and an envelope.

Magnus didn't notice the owl approaching and he barely registers it's passing, dropping the envelope it carried. But he did notice when all the talking stopped.

Looking up at the loss of noise, Magnus found the other members of the table staring at one object. A red envelope lay on the table in front of Alec.

A Howler.

Alec stared at the envelope, speechless, frozen, all previous contentment gone.

"Um, sorry, but what is that?" Simon asked.

"It's a Howler," Izzy informed him.

"You should probably just open it," Jace advised him. "Just get it over with."

"What is it even about?" Clary asked.

"I don't know," Alec murmured.

"It can't be that bad," Izzy added. "I mean, I can't think of anything that you-" she paused, realizing something.

"What? What is it?" Magnus asked her.

"I think I know what it's going to say," she confessed.

"What is it?"

Before she could answer, the envelope exploded and a loud, low voice filled hall, closely resembling a roar.

"ALEXANDER GIDEON LIGHTWOOD. I. AM. ASHAMED. YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO THE LIGHTWOOD NAME!

"PUT THESE ALLEGATIONS TO REST. TELL ME THAT THOSE PICTURES ARE NOT REAL, THAT THAT IS NOT REALLY YOU, BECAUSE IF IT IS, I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU IN MY HOUSE AGAIN.

"I WILL NOT PUT UP WITH SUCH FILTH.

"DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS COULD COST YOUR MOTHER AND I? THERE IS MORE TO THE WORLD THAN JUST YOU.

"END THESE RUMORS OR YOU NO LONGER HAVE ANY RIGHT TO CALL YOURSELF A LIGHTWOOD.

"And Izzy, how could you let this go on without my knowledge? I am very disappointed. Knock some sense in your brother, for the better of us all.

"Make sure that none of this is ever associated with our family again."

The enveloped burst into flames and it's ashes sprinkled over the table. The entire hall was silent for a moment, watching Alec, waiting for what he would say or do next. But he remained as silent and frozen as them, his head turned down, staring at the spot where the letter had first landed.

"Is little Alec okay?" a voice feigning concern called from behind. Magnus turned to see Camille and Sebastian walking by, smirking at Alec.

Alec said nothing in response.

"Camille," Sebastian began, turning to Camille, but saying it still loud enough for the whole room to hear. "You didn't tell me the fag's got daddy-issues.

They were getting closer to the table.

Izzy was up in an instant.

"Izzy, don't," Simon told her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You don't want to get in trouble again."

"I can't just stand by while they insult my brother!" She argued. "Come on, Simon."

"Yeah, come on Simon," Camille said. "Her brother needs all the help he can get. It's not like he would do anything for himself."

"It's quite pathetic actually," Sebastian put in, now close to Alec. Magnus's grip tightened around his cup, ready to throw it if Sebastian did anything. "Why do you even stand up for the disgusting fag?" he added, turning to Izzy.

"Get away from him," Magnus growled.

Sebastian laughed. "See what I mean; he can't even stand up for himself."

"Shut up," Alec croaked.

"Oh, so he speaks," Sebastian mocked. "I'm sorry, what was that? You're gonna have to speak up. Or is that too hard for you?"

"Shut up," Alec said, standing up slowly. "I said shut UP!"

And with that final word, he turned and punched Sebastian in the jaw.

Everyone gasped.

"Alec!" the headmaster exclaimed, but Alec either didn't hear or didn't pay attention or just ignored him.

"I am SICK of people telling me what to do, and I'm sick of people telling me who I am and what I'm capable of. YOU don't know me, Sebastian, and don't think for a second that you do. I am done dealing with people like you. You think that you can push me around, that this is all a joke? Well guess who's laughing now. Don't you ever think to mess with me again."

He paused for a moment before adding, "And Sebastian, you may not like the fact that I'm gay, but a hell of a lot more people wouldn't be okay with that fact that  _you're_  into  _incest_. So next time you consider someone disgusting, try not to be so hypocritical about it."

Alec only just then seemed to notice that the hall was silent and that everyone was watching him in shock. Magnus himself had their same look of shock at his outburst, but, at the same time, he felt a sense of pride in the fact that Alec had stood up for himself.

Before anyone could say anything to Alec, he ducked his head, said, "Excuse me," and made his way out of the room.

Conversations started to build after a moment of silence. Whispers of friends discussing what happened, recalling their own views on the situation, buzzed around Magnus like flies.

Izzy turned to Magnus. "I'm going to go after him," she said softly.

"Wha-" Magnus began, but she was already gone.

Simon looked back and forth between the exit and the crowd of people, before making the split decision to follow her. Magnus was just about to do the same when the headmaster stood up and called to everyone's attention.

"Can someone escort Sebastian to the Hospital Wing?" he instructed the crowd. "Ah, yes, thank you, Camille." She helped him onto his feet and led him out of the room.

"Now, will someone get Mr. Lightwood to my office; I have to talk to him."

"I'll do it," Magnus automatically replied, even though Izzy had already seen to that.

The headmaster sent him off and Magnus was out without another look back.

He sprinted through the halls, desperate to find Alec. But that was the probable with being in a big school: there were too many twists, turns, hallways, staircases, and simply places a person could be. he could be inside the school or on the grounds; he could be in the library or his dorm, or maybe even on the Quidditch field…

The Quidditch field. Wasn't that where he had finally found Alec back by Christmas? Wasn't that where he went to avoid everyone else?

Magnus immediately changed directions, making his way to the Quidditch field.

* * *

"Alec, I know you're in here!" a familiar voice called. Magnus could immediately tell it was Izzy. Of course she knew the place, she knew almost everything about her brother.

Magnus ran towards the direction in which he heard her voice. When he got close, he heard another voice talking with her. Magnus walked silently towards the sounds until he reached a corner. Peaking his head around the corner, he saw Simon with his hands on Izzy's arms, trying to steady her.

"He's not here," Izzy stated. "Where could he be?"

"Hey, it's fine, Izzy," Simon told her. "I'm sure we'll find him. Besides, he'll be just fine on his own. He's probably just in the library or something."

"No, you don't understand, this is where he always goes."

"Maybe he went somewhere else this time."

"But that's not the problem, Si," she explained. "I'm worried about him."

"Why?"

Izzy sighed, "Because of dad. Because of that damn Howler. Alec has always been worried about what dad would think, and the newspaper article was already a shock enough. But he had been able to handle that, since it wasn't as direct, and dad's feelings about the situation were not as plain. I don't know. But this, the way dad yelled at him, practically disowned him… I don't know how Alec's gonna handle it. What if he runs away? What if we can't find him? I just don't know what he'll do."

"Hey, its okay, come here," Simon said, pulling her in for a hug. "He'll be fine. You're brother's strong, he's a fighter; he's not going to do anything too risky." He placed a kiss on her forehead. "He'll be fine."

Magnus silently walked away and out of the stands, hoping the pair didn't notice him.

So Alec wasn't in the bleachers, and Izzy was right, there was no telling what he might be feeling or thinking or doing right now. It only made Magnus all the more urgent to find him.

But where could he be?

And then an idea came to Magnus. The one place Alec might be. Somewhere no one else would think to check, since he had only been there once, and most of the students didn't know of it. It was a small chance that he would be there, but Magnus had to try. it was better than nothing.

And so, Magnus ran out of the bleachers and away from the Quidditch field, to the place he really hoped Alec might be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts?


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Side note - I'm Matthew Daddario trash

_Alec's POV_

The sky up above was crystal clear, with not a cloud in sight, the sun beaming down, giving that comfortable spring warmth. There was a light breeze and the sound of nature buzzed all around. The Black Lake was still, or at least it would have been if not for the rocks skipping across its surface in rapid fire, one after the other.

Alec groaned as yet another rock didn't make it past the second bounce. Another one, he thought to himself, picking up another rock by the shore of the lake.

He imagined each rock was a problem in his life, a person that pushed him around or told him what to do, or an issue that brought him down. And each time he threw a rock, he was sending that problem further and further away. The only problem was that he was too frustrated to focus, so the rocks didn't make it that far, but he kept trying.

_Sebastian_.

He tossed the rock.

_Camille_.

Another rock.

_Dad_.

A third one.

_Mom, for not doing anything_.

Number 4.

_The years I spent trying to please my parents_.

Another rock.

_The years I spent in the closet_.

Another rock.

_The Wizarding World, for not fully accepting me and those like me_.

Another rock.

_Myself,_  He picked up another rock, about to toss it.  _For not being good enough for my dad's approval, for even being gay and starting this mess in the first place. Maybe if I wasn't gay none of this would have happened._

He paused, rock still in hand.

_No_ , he told himself firmly.  _This isn't your fault. There is nothing wrong with being gay_.

He thought of Magnus, confident and sure of himself, kind and caring, and amazing in every way.  _You would have never had him if you were anything like what your dad wants you to be._ He thought of everything this past year, his first kiss, the long walks across the grounds, the late study nights, curled up besides each other in the library, when he finally came out… all moments that would have never happened if he wasn't who he was.

_There's nothing wrong with me_ … he concluded.  _This isn't my fault. There's nothing I have to change. They were the ones who had to change their views. They caused all of my problems._

That only made him more frustrated.

_Why do they even care so much? It's not like it affects them. And why does my father hate it so much? Shouldn't he love me for who I am? Shouldn't he want me to be happy? Magnus makes me happy. If I'm happy, shouldn't that be enough?_

He tossed another rock, this one only bouncing once, before he heard a voice behind him.

"Alec?"

He didn't bother turning around; he knew who it was. Instead he just grabbed a fistful of rocks and continued on as he had before.

"Sorry, I had to get out," Alec said. "I don't know what came over me in there."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Magnus said, his voice closer now.

"I just… I…"

He groaned, running his hands through his hair. "I'm  _sick_  of them, and of everything. Why do they even care so much about me and who I date? It doesn't affect them in the slightest. And I'm sick of people telling me what to do."

He paused, realizing that he was just ranting at this point. "I'm sorry, you probably don't want to hear me rant about my stupid problems."

That was when he felt hands on his shoulders, turning him around. "Alec, look at me," Magnus said.

Alec reluctantly turned his head up to meet Magnus's eyes.

"There will never be a time that I don't want to listen to you. You can say anything to me."

Alec shook his head. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I snapped back there. It's just everything was building up and I couldn't take it. My parents in the paper, then the howler, and Camille and Sebastian never leaving me alone about this, and then they had the nerve to come up to me after the howler and rub it in my face, not to mention all the stress that was building up due to the N.E.W.T.s and I…"

Magnus pulled him in for a hug. "It's okay, it's okay. Everything will be fine," he whispered in his ear.

"I know it will be," Alec whispered back. "I don't care what anyone says anymore. I'm happy the way I am; I don't need their approval."

The stayed like that for a moment, holding each other tight, Alec wondering how he got to be so lucky as to have Magnus in his life. Then Magnus whispered, "I hate to end this, but the headmaster is waiting for you in his office."

"We should probably head back then," Alec replied, breaking the embrace.

"That we should," Magnus agreed, placing a chaste kiss on Alec's cheek.

They made their way back to the castle, hand in hand.

* * *

When they turned the corner onto the hallway that lead to the headmaster's office, they saw Tessa pacing the hallway past the door. She turned her head up when she heard them approaching.

"There you two are. I was beginning to think that Alec ran away."

Magnus nudged him forward. "Yeah, sorry about that," Alec apologized. "I just had to get away. Sorry for the outburst, too."

"As much as I usually don't condone violence, Sebastian got what was coming to him. It was quite awesome, actually."

"And hot, too," Magnus added.

"Magnus!" Alec exclaimed, blushing.

Tessa chuckled. "You two are too adorable. Now get in there, Alec, he's waiting for you. The password is 'Pumpkin juice'."

Alec made his way through the doors, repeated the password, and walked up the stairs. When he reached the office door, he knocked.

"Come in."

Alec walked in and sat down across from the headmaster. He was a man in his 40s with short brown hair and brown eyes. He had become headmaster a couple years ago, after the previous headmistress retired. She had been reaching her 80s and decided that it was time to leave.

Alec had barely come in contact with the current headmaster. He was a very personal man, and he didn't come in contact with the students or professors unless he had to, and Alec only saw him at meals and events, and only heard his voice whenever he was giving a speech. So, he had no idea what to expect from this meeting.

"I want you to tell me what happened in the Great Hall."

"I snapped," Alec answered simply.

"That I could tell," he chuckled. "Care to explain?"

Alec sighed. "It was just something Sebastian said. It doesn't matter. Just give me whatever punishment I deserve."

"Alexander…"

"He was just picking on me as usual. I got a Howler from my dad and he saw it as a perfect opportunity to mess with me again. And I was just sick of it so I snapped."

"Care to tell me what he said?"

"He called me a fag," Alec whispered softly.

The headmaster leaned back in his chair. "I though bullying over that topic was over in this school."

"Well, clearly it's not at Beauxbatons," Alec muttered.

"I'll talk to their headmistress, but that is all I can do about him. As for you, you know I don't accept violence in this school," he said sternly.

"I know."

"But… since you've never done anything like this in your seven years, your track record is completely clean, and you seem to be a pretty good student, I'll leave you off with a warning."

"Really?" Alec couldn't believe he wasn't being punished.

"But, if this happens again, I won't look it over. And, I'm taking 25 points from Ravenclaw. Do I have your word that you won't act out again?"

"Yes, sir," Alec responded.

"You may go," the headmaster told him.

Alec stood up and was about to walk out when he turned around. "Thank you, sir."

He smiled in response and waved Alec out of the room.

_Well, that went a lot better than expected, Alec thought._

* * *

"Well, how did it go? What did he say?" Magnus asked him.

"Fine, actually," Alec replied. "He let me off with a warning."

"Really?"

"Well, a warning and 25 points from Ravenclaw."

"That's great!" Magnus exclaimed.

"Wait," Tessa said. "25 points? That brings us down to second!"

"Sorry…"

"Really?" Magnus asked Tessa, who nodded. Magnus's face lit up with a smile. "Finally! That puts Slytherin in first! House cup, here I come!"

"Now look what you did, Alec."

"Is it really that important, guys?" Alec sighed, rolling his eyes.

They both gave him an incredulous look before looking back at each other, bursting out in laughter.

"Not really, no," Tessa said.

"But, it's fun to get back into that first-year state, where the house cup is the most important thing ever," Magnus added.

Alec rolled his eyes at them again. "Come one, let's go."

As they neared the Great Hall, turning the corner, they saw Izzy heading their way, Simon at her side. Simon seemed to notice them first and he whispered something to Izzy, who looked up and ran towards Alec. Alec barely had a second to prepare himself before Izzy tackled him in a hug, arms wrapping around his neck.

"I've been looking everywhere for you! I was worried something happened," she exclaimed.

"I'm… I'm fine Izzy," he responded, breathless.

"Don't scare me like that again," she told him.

"I won't. I'm sorry, Izzy," he whispered to her.

"Good," she said, pulling away. "I love you, Alec," she whispered to him, only loud enough for him to hear. "I don't say it enough but just know I do." She wiped something from her cheek and only now Alec could see that she had been crying. But Izzy wasn't one to typically show her feelings…  _I must have really worried her, running off like that._

But Izzy played off the moment as if nothing happened, drawing attention away from her tears.

Alec pulled her back in for a quick hug. "I love you too, sis," he whispered back to her.

And though he couldn't see it, he could feel her smile at that, and he smiled in return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Review? Thanks! Love you guys :)
> 
> Also, do you guys have any ideas for the final task? I have some but I'm just sure about them so I'm open to recommendations. Thanks :)


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the lovely reviews guys, you guys are so sweet :)

_Magnus POV_

"Okay," Alec told him. "We're almost there."

His wonderful boyfriend had his hands covering Magnus's eyes. He had told him that it was a surprise so Magnus couldn't see where they were going, not that Magnus minded. He quite liked the closeness of the situation, with Alec right behind him so he could cover Magnus's eyes. Why he hadn't decided to just use a blindfold was beyond Magnus, though he probably didn't want him to be able to easily lift up the blindfold an therefore see where he was going. Yes, that was probably why.

"And… we're here!" Alec exclaimed. He released Magnus with a "Surprise!"

Magnus let his eyes focus and take in his surroundings. They were by their usually spot by the lake (they have been there so many times together that the place had shifted from Magnus's place to their place, and Magnus quite liked that idea), and Alec seemed to have laid out a picnic for the two of them.

"I thought you might like this and we could both use a break from worrying about the N.E.W.T.s," Alec explained.

Magnus turned to face him. He couldn't believe Alec went through the time and effort to do this for him.

He pulled Alec in for a kiss. "Thank you," he whispered against his lips. "I love it."

Alec's face lit up with a bright smile before he sat down on the picnic blanket, pulling Magnus down to sit next to him. He reached towards the picnic basket and began pulling out plates and sandwiches, as well as some fruit, bread, salad, and… a pie?

"Woah, woah, wait a moment," Magnus began, confused. "Where did you get all this food?"

"Well, they seem to like me, down in the kitchens," Alec explained. "Whenever I slept in, spent too much time in the library, or just didn't want to go to the Great Hall, I would go down to the kitchens and they were always more than happy to give me something. So, I went down there and asked for some food for today. I offered to help, as always, but they said how it was fine and they got it handled, which also usually happens…" he trailed off. "I hope you like it. I wasn't sure what you would want to eat so I might have over packed but I just wanted to make sure everything was perfect and…"

"I love it," Magnus said. "It's perfect, just like you."

Alec blushed and gave Magnus a quick peck on the cheek. "Well, you deserve it. I guess I also wanted this to be a kind of 'thank you' for everything you've done for me."

"What do you mean?" Magnus asked.

"Well, you know, just all the times you've been there for me when I need you. You gave me the confidence to be and accept myself. At the beginning of the year, I was shy and terrified of anyone finding out what I was, but now, I'm ready for whatever comes my way. Thank you."

Magnus's heart was overflowing with joy and love for the amazing boy in front of him. He hadn't even paused to think of what he had done for Alec; he hadn't thought that Alec becoming more confident was because of him. But hearing that he had that effect on Alec, that he meant so much to Alec, it made his heart soar.

He pulled Alec flush up against him into a heart-stopping kiss. "Thank you, darling" he whispered to Alec. "For showing me what true love feels like."

He felt Alec smile into the kiss and he couldn't stop himself from doing the same as well. He felt Alec's hands trail up his arms and around his neck to his hair, where they began tugging softly, causing Magnus to moan into this kiss, deepening it. He circled his arms around Alec's waist, pulling him closer. All thoughts left his head and all he could comprehend was Alec; the feel of his hard chest pressed against Magnus's, his hands in Magnus's hair, the taste of his mouth…

And then suddenly he was lying on the picnic blanket with Alec onto of him, not that he minded. However, Alec started to giggle and pulled away from the kiss.

"As much as I'd love to continue this, I didn't bring food, and I am rather hungry," he said, face flushed. He got up off of Magnus who, after a moment and a soft groan, sat up as well.

* * *

 

A few hours later, the two were found seated next to each other, Magnus leaning on Alec, watching the sunset together. The afternoon had been wonderful, just the two of them without any interruptions, talking, laughing, kissing… At one point Magnus had his head in Alec's lap, insisting that Alec feed him grapes to which, after a few minutes convincing, Alec agreed, but only did a few before saying how cliche the whole situation was. Now the two were just relishing the moment, tasting the last few moments of peace before they went back to the stressful studying.

"What are your plans after this?" Alec asked suddenly.

Magnus lifted his head to look at him. "What?"

"You know, after we leave Hogwarts," Alec said. "What are you going to do? We've never really talked about this before."

Magnus thought about it for a moment. "I'm not quite sure what I want to do for a job. I do know, however, that I plan to go to New York City. I've always wanted to go there, to live there; the city just calls to me. Once I'm there, I don't know. Maybe start a fashion business, or work for one. Maybe it would be in the Wizarding World but, I don't know, maybe I'd work in the muggle industry. I mean, I'm not against it…"

"I think you'd be great," Alec encouraged.

"Oh really?"

"Well, I mean, look at you," Alec said. "You always look great."

"Awe, thank you pumpkin," Magnus said, tapping Alec's nose.

"Don't tap my nose," he said, scrunching it up. "And, 'pumpkin'?"

"I like it," Magnus insisted. "And I shall tap your cute nose all I want," he added, tapping his nose again for emphasis.

Alec sighed, rolling his eyes.

"So, what are your plans?" Magnus asked.

"Oh, well, I'm not quite sure what, but I would like to go into literature, or just writing of some sorts. Maybe be an author or go into journalism. But I want at least a year off before I commit to anything."

The two fell silent for a moment when suddenly Alec asked, "What about us?"

Magnus gave him a questioning look.

"I mean, what will happen for our relationship after Hogwarts?" Alec explained.

Magnus thought about it for a moment. Alec had a point, what was to become of them?It seemed as they would each be taking their own paths, but Magnus didn't want that to mean that he would lose Alec.

"I don't know," he admitted. "But, whatever happens, I want us to still be together."

"But, I don't know, what if we drift apart or have a long-distance relationship that makes everything harder?"

"Hey, we'll work it out," Magnus reassured. "We'll get through this."  _I hope we do_ , he added in his head.

Alec nodded his head and shifted to lay his head in Magnus's lap. Magnus played with the ebony strands that were now sprawled out in all directions.

"Hey, how's Jace getting ready for the final task?" He asked, the thought suddenly occurring to him.

Alec chuckled, "As well as he can, I guess. Clary's been pushing him to practice for it, though I'm not sure how that will work out. He still doesn't know what the task will be, they haven't told any of the champions yet, and he says he'll put his all when he finds out what it is."

"Do you think he'll win?"

Alec paused for a moment. "I sure do  _hope_  he'll win, and he's done really well so far, not to mention he is one of the best but, I just don't know. The girl from Durmstrang is really good, from what I've seen, and I'm sure Jace can beat Jean, no offense to the guy. It's just Viria, I mean, I don't know what to expect from her."

Magnus thought back to his encounter with her outside the Great Hall and chuckled. "Yeah, she's very unpredictable, that one. Not what you'd expect."

Alec smiled. "It seems her friend is along the same lines as her."

Magnus looked at him. "Oh, Goldilocks will be fine. You watch, he's gonna win the trophy and the prize and the whole school will be celebrating."

"I can't believe you still call him that," Alec said, shaking his head.

"What can I say, it suits him."

"Whatever you say, Magnus," Alec yawned.

"Hey, maybe we should head back," Magnus suggested.

"Good idea," Alec agreed, getting off of Magnus and onto his feet. He reached out a hand to help Magnus get up and, after the two packed their stuff, they walked on back to the castle, hand in hand.


	27. Chapter 27

_Alec POV_

Alec slipped into the seat right next to his best friend. The table was not as crowded this morning, probably because Alec was up a bit earlier than usual. Jace, on the other hand, was usually up before everyone else. "So, are you ready for today?" he asked him.

The champions had been told that the final task would be a series of challenges and puzzles that had been set up in tunnels which were temporarily place underground. They would each enter their own tunnel and have to solve the mini tasks to come before reaching the other end. Whoever made it first would be the winner, but the tunnels would overlap, so it was very likely that they would come across another champion and, depending where they were, might have to fight them.

Jace turned his head to face Alec. "You bet," he said through a mouthful of food.

_Typical Jace,_  Alec thought, though as he took a second look, he noticed the quick flicker of nervousness in his eyes, which was a rare occurrence and it took Alec aback for a moment.

"Hey," Alec began. "You know you'll be fine out there."

Jace gave him a look. "Duh."

_Well, if Jace doesn't want to talk about it, I won't be the one to make him,_ Alec decided. He knew Jace preferred to work these things out on his own, and he'd be fine, like he always was. At least that's what Alec told himself.

"So, are your parents coming today?" Alec asked him.

"Probably not," Jace replied. "They're always so busy, and they haven't told me if they'd be coming or not. But that's okay, I have you guys to cheer me on," he finished with a playful shove. "Anyways, I'm gonna go to the library and get any last bit of information I can get before the task. Tell Clary to meet me there if she has time before class."

As he stood up and walked out of the Great Hall, Alec couldn't help but think about how it would be next year when he didn't see Jace every day.

* * *

Later, at lunch, the school was a buzz of excitement. Everyone was holding their banners and signs that had slogans of support for their school champion, and everyone was talking about what they thought would happen.

Alec was sat beside Magnus and Izzy when the doors to the Great Hall opened. Alec turned his head to see Jace and the other champions walking in with their respective families. But it wasn't the loss of Jace's parents that made Alec do a double take, but rather who was in their place.

Because right behind Jace were the Lightwoods.

"Mom?" Izzy asked as everyone stood up to meet them. "Dad? Max? What are you guys doing here?"

Max rushed forward to hug Izzy. "We came to see Jace and the final task!" he told her excitedly, before turning to hug Alec.

"Jace's parents told us that they would be unable to be here so they asked us to come to give Jace more support," Maryse explained.

The group fell silent. No one knew quite what to say after that. They all knew about the Howler and the events of the last months, well, all maybe except Max, but it seemed that he could tell something was amiss.

Maryse cleared her throat. "And, um, we wanted to come to talk to Alec."

Alec felt Magnus come up behind him and interlock their fingers reassuringly. Alec squeezed his hand lightly in thanks but said nothing to his mom, deciding instead to look at his brother.

"I know you are probably mad at us…" Maryse continued.

"Oh, really?" Alec responded, his voice heavy with sarcasm. "I wonder why that may be."

Maryse sighed. "Alexander—"

"It's Alec," Alec reminded her.

"Alec," she corrected. "We wanted to apologize for everything."

Alec looked up at her, surprise written all over his face. "What?"

"We are sorry for everything. Your father wanted to apologize for what he said in the newspaper and for the Howler— all in all, he's sorry for his reaction. we both are."

"Really?" Alec looked at Robert, who still didn't say anything. "I want to here him say it."

Robert, who had been avoiding Alec's gaze, turned to look at him. "I'm sorry," he managed to get out. "My reaction was a bit much."

"A  _bit_?!" Alec exclaimed, outraged. "You practically disowned me!"

Robert appeared to be shocked at Alec's outburst, but Alec didn't care. All the frustrations from the last few months were coming back.

"Alexander, you must understand…" Robert began.

"No, you need to understand. You're my  _father_. You're supposed to love me no matter what. You're supposed to be there when I need you. But the moment you read something in the newspaper, you practically throw me out of the family!"

"Alexander! Your father is trying to apologize." Maryse told him.

Alec gave an incredulous laugh. "Yeah, 'trying', if you can even call it that."

"Alec, darling," Magnus whispered in his ear. "You are drawing a crowd."

"I don't care," he whispered back.

Robert cleared his throat. "So I see the article wasn't a lie."

Alec looked back at him. "Yeah. Is that a problem?" he challenged.

Robert's mouth closed and formed a hard, thin line. And that was all the answer Alec needed.

"I see," Alec said. He looked down at his brother. "Sorry about all of this, buddy." Looking back at his parents he added, "Well, send me a message when I'm welcomed back into the family again."

"No, Alec…" Maryse tried.

"No mom, you don't get it. If I'm not accepted there, then it's no home for me," he told her. "Let me know when he gets some sense knocked into him." He looked to Izzy, who he knew had a lot to say and was probably saving it all for when Alec was out of earshot. "Don't bother, Izzy. I don't want him to hate you too."

"Are you gonna say anything?" Izzy said to Robert. "This is your son!"

"Izzy," Alec said. "Don't." But he knew that as soon as he left, she would start up again. Oh well, at least he tried.

He turned around to leave before turning back to Jace. "I just need a second alone, but I'll be back before the task, don't worry." He took one last look at his father. "And dad," he said. "I'm still the same Alec you knew all these years. If you can't see that, then I pity you and would hate to be in your place because I wouldn't change myself even if I could."

And he turned around and left without another word.

* * *

Later that day found Alec at the base of some bleachers that faced three tunnels, waiting for Jace. The rest of the group had found a seat in the bleachers, saving Alec a spot as well, each of them having already bid Jace their words of luck. As soon as Alec saw Jace heading his way, he rushed towards him. The other champions were with him, Viria's red hair blowing in the soft breeze, her blue eyes shinning. Jean slightly behind the two, his green eyes bright with excitement, his dark, curly hair falling in his eyes, desperately needing a trim, but who was Alec to talk?

As soon as Jace saw Alec, his eyes lit up and the bit of worry on his face was chased away. "I thought you might not come," he told Alec.

"And miss your victory? I would never," Alec said with a smile. "So, are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Jace responded.

"Well, I just wanted you to know that whatever happens, I won't think of you any differently," Alec told him. "Sure, it'd be great if you win, but if you lose, it'll be fine. Just… don't do anything stupid, okay? Make it back alive," Alec finished. These tournaments have had several deaths, the most recent one being at their very school, about 20 years ago. And Alec didn't want Jace to be added to the list of those who died.

Jace matched his gaze. "Don't worry," he told him. "I'll be fine."

"Alright," Alec said. Leaning closer, he whispered, "Now go kick some ass."

With a hug and a pat on the back, Alec headed up the bleachers to sit besides Magnus.

"Are you okay?" Magnus asked. "About what happened earlier?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Alec answered. "If Robert doesn't want to be associated with me, that's his problem, not mine."

"Well, Izzy had a thing or two to say to him after you left."

"Of course she did," Alec said with a laugh, resulting in a light smack on the arm from said sister, who also gave one to Magnus.

Alec looked at her and added, "Which is why I love you." He pulled her in for a hug.

"It'll be alright, you know," she told him.

"I know," he whispered back. "I know it will."

"Guys, they're going to start soon," Simon told them.

"Ladies and gentleman," a voice boomed over the crowd. "The third and final task of this years Triwizard Tournament is about to begin. The current standings of all the champions are as follows: Viria Karsten of Durmstrang Institute is first with 88 points, followed by Jace Herondale of Hogwarts School and Jean André Courtade of Beauxbatons Academy tied for second place at 80 points each. Viria will be going first since she is in first place, and Jace and Jean will enter 30 seconds after her. Best of luck to all of you." He paused for a moment to let the applause die down. "Now, on the blow of my whistle, Viria, you will head into your tunnel. Three— two— one—"

He gave a short blow into his whistle, and Viria was off. She disappeared into her tunnel and it wasn't long until she could no longer be seen or heard.

"Now, Jace and Jean, please line up, and you will do the same as her." He look at his watch, counting down. "Three— two— one—"

And with another blast of his whistle, Jace and Jean each disappeared into their own tunnels, the applause of the crowd drawing out the sound of their footsteps.

And then they were gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so sorry these have been short but the next chapter will be longer, I swear.
> 
> Also- the next chapter or 2 will have POV's from each of the champions!
> 
> P.S. You can leave recommendations for the final task. Like I said, it's a series of challenges and puzzles and stuff. Like, if your read the first Harry Potter book, remember the number of rooms and stuff protecting the stone? It's gonna sorta be like that but I don't want to copy those so any recommendations?


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I'm back! I'm so sorry for not updating, I just honestly couldn't find the time or the focus (not to mention I did face writer's block for a long time). But summer came and I finally got back into the writing mood.  
> Now, as promised, this chapter is part 1 of the final triward tournament task, so I'm trying out writing from different points of view, and you get more action in this...

_Jace's POV_

 

Just moments after entering the tunnel, Jace saw the world around him go black. He was surrounded by darkness. Even sound itself seemed to be disappear, all except for the soft whisper of his steady breath. It was as if everything had been sucked into a black hole and only he remained.

" _Lumos_ ," Jace whispered. He watched as a sudden blinding light emitted from his wand. Once his eyes adjusted, he found that he still couldn't see much. The world around him remained swallowed up by the shadows, like it refused to be seen. Only his hands could be made out. They looked extremely pale in his wand's light, more like Alec's hands than his own. Jace reached out to the side until he brushed a sooth surface — the tunnel wall. Keeping that arm out against the wall, and his wand arm held out in front, Jace cautiously proceeded on.

The hall echoed with Jace's steps, his breathing sounding more like whispers of the wind. He had hoped to hear something else — the other champions, the crowds far behind back at the school, the scatter of a small animal, drops of water — just _anything_ that might clue him to where he was and where he was going. He didn't like the suspense, the endless waiting for _something_ to happen, for something or someone to jump out from the shadows. At least then he'd be doing something other than walking blindly into the unknown.

The minutes seemed to pass by like days. Jace was just about losing track of how long he had been walking when he saw a small, distant light up ahead. It was a mere dot, but it was the first change he had seen since he started his journey.

He broke into a jog, slowly picking up the pace until he was all-out sprinting. The light ahead grew larger and nearer. He could finally see the floor beneath his feet and the walls of the tunnel. As he drew closer to the source, the white light became almost blinding, but he charged on forward into the room and —

He stopped dead. All around him were mirrors. They lined the walls, the floors, and the ceiling of the octagon room. A million Jaces looked back at him from all angles. There was no obvious source to the blinding white light and there was no exit other than the way he came.

Just as he was about to give up and turn back, he heard a something sliding. Looking back, he noticed that there was a glass panel closing off the tunnel, closing him in.

"No!" he shouted, lunging towards the exit. But he was to late. The glass panel it the floor. He punched the glass, his fists pounding against it, trying to break it, but it wouldn't even crack.

And as if it couldn't get any worse, when Jace turned back to face the room, all the lights went out.

He was trapped.

* * *

_Jean Andre's POV_

 

_Don't slow down, don't slow down,_ Jean told himself. _I know you're tired but you can't stop running. If you do, it'll get you._

He had been running for what felt like hours, though for all he knew it could have just been a few minutes. He was in a constant panic, but all he could do was run. He tried firing some spells at it, but none of them worked. Either they missed or they just weren't strong enough to cause any lasting damage.

The beast just kept getting closer.

He could hear it scuttling behind him, its eight legs clattering and echoing on the cave walls and its pincers clicking excitedly.

Jean knew it was only a matter of time before it caught up to him, but he didn't know how much longer he would be stuck in the tunnels. The least he could do was buy himself a bit more time.

He got an idea.

" _Serpensortia_!" he shouted, aiming the wand over his shoulder. A snake shot out of his wand and onto the ground.

Pointing at the little snake that faced away from him, he added, " _Engorgio_!" and the snake grew about 10 sizes.

Jean knew it was no basilisk, but at least it might trick the Acromantula, distracting it for a moment, giving him a few extra minutes before it caught up with him.

Without looking back to check if it worked, Jean charged ahead, pushing himself to go faster. Now without the sounds of the beast filling his ears, he could at least have a moment to think of what to do next and to assess his current situation. There was nothing around him to help. The only plus he had was that he wasn't in total darkness. The walls of the tunnels he ran through were lined with torches, leaving him free to use…

_Wait_ , Jean thought. There were torches lining the walls, hundreds of them. He had been running for who knows how long, wondering what to do, when the answer was right in front of him.

_Fire_ , he pondered, suddenly feeling like a complete idiot for not thinking of it earlier. _I can burn the creature!_

And without a second thought, Jean started switching back and forth between knocking the torches off the wall and onto the floor and shouting, "Incendio!" Before long, the path behind him was swallowed up in flames. He couldn't see anything from where he came — all that was there was a wall of orange and yellow that licked the ceiling and walls of the tunnel.

Suddenly he heard the clicking again. The Acromantula must have gotten away from the snake. But, luckily, this time Jean knew what to do. Rather than running away again, he held his ground, ready to attack should the beast get through the flames.

But it wasn't necessary. Though he couldn't see it, Jean could hear the creature slow down as it approached the flames. It probably knew better than to walk right into the fire. After a few seconds, Jean heard the spider scuttle in the opposite direction, its sound fading as it got farther and farther away.

"Woooh! I did it!" Jean exclaimed. "Take zat! Not so tough now, are you?"

After his moment of victory, Jean turned around and made his way forward, feeling excited and ready for whatever new challenge came his way.

* * *

_Jace's POV_

 

"Lumos," Jace whispered, watching the tip of his wand light up. The thousands of reflections of him in the mirrors were all looking at their own wands once the room was lit up. Jace supposed it helped that the room was entirely mirrors — this way the light from his wand would bounce off the reflections all around him, multiplying the effect.

Jace walked up to one of the walls. He couldn't think of any other way to get out other than breaking the glass. There might be a secret door behind it, or the walls could just be glass, and getting out of this containment would put him back in the tunnels. And, if not… well, he'd just have to work out what to do in that case when he got there. But first, he had to face the problem at hand.

But how to break the glass.

He knew from earlier that punching it wouldn't do any good. The glass didn't even crack, no matter how hard he tried. No, he would have to try something else.

_There has to be another way,_ Jace thought. _But what?_

Jace put his head against the glass, one arm resting above his head, the other tapping absentmindedly while he pondered.

"Think Jace, think," he told himself.

His fingers made a steady _dum da dum_ sound as he kept the rhythm going. Every now and then, his nails would hit the glass, producing a sharp ringing sound.

_Wait…_

He hit his nail on the glass again on the glass, the same distinct note ringing out.

_Its frequency…_

He knew that each glass has a different frequency. It was one of the things that gets briefly mentioned when you learn music. He knew how some singers would use that and try to match the frequency of the glass — in other words they'd try to sing the same note — because matching the frequency will cause the glass to shatter…

But what was Jace thinking? He knew he couldn't hit such a high note.

_Well, that was a dumb idea,_ Jace thought, chuckling at the ridiculousness of it.

_But is it really that ridiculous?_ Sure, he couldn't break the glass by reaching it's frequency, but maybe he could use a different element of sound.

Volume.

It wasn't something he could do just with his voice either — the mere human voice can't produce a loud enough sound to break anything. But something stronger could do the trick. He thought back to the scene in Back to the Future (yes he had seen it… Simon forced him and Clary to watch it one summer) when Marty has all the speakers set to the max volume. When he strummed his guitar, it created such a forced that he was sent flying back and all the speakers broke. Sure, that was an exaggeration of it, but a loud enough sound can send sound waves that put enough pressure to break something.

If there was one thing Jace was happy he listened to Simon about, it was that. Maybe if he could produce a loud enough sound, he could break all the glass around him.

It was a small chance, but it was the only idea he had, and failing wouldn't leave him in any worse of a situation than he was in. It was worth a shot.

Pointing his wand to his throat, Jace said, " _Sonorus_ " — the spell to amplify his voice.

"Okay, testing. Testing," Jace spoke, feeling cocky as he heard how those few soft words echoed in the room, bouncing off of the walls. "Testing, one, two, three. Hello. Hello." And, with a smile on his face, he got louder. " Ladies and Gentlemen, watch as the brave, clever, and charming competitor conquers yet another challenge, one that everyone else thought would be impossible. But the challenger before you is unlike the rest, in fact the others probably can't even come close to his level. Watch, as right before your eyes, he does the impossible."

Still smiling, Jace cleared his throat.

_It's the moment of truth._

He took a break…

And let out the loudest and longest piercing scream he could muster. The volume of his scream was amplified by the spell to extreme levels, bouncing off the walls and back to Jace's ears painfully.

Holding the scream out, he put his hands on his ears, fingers tangling in his hair, and fell to his knees. He held his head and closed his eyes. He felt the sound vibrate through his entire being, causing a ringing in his head. It was excruciating — he imagined this is what it was like to be right by an explosion. But he wouldn't let himself stop screaming until he couldn't support the sound anymore — he didn't want to risk losing the sound just before he broke the glass.

He was too distracted by his pain, with his ears covered and eyes closed, that he didn't notice the cracking of the glass. He did, however, notice when all the glass shattered and fell down around him. Luckily, he had his head tucked under his arms, and avoided any major damage. but his arms and legs were scrapped up by the shards — a million deep paper cuts. Jace bit his lip as his skin started to sting in countless different places.

After a moment, Jace slowly got up, cautiously watching his step. The floor was littered with the mirror fragments. The few around him had drops of blood.

" _Episkey_ ," Jace whispered, pointing the wand at one of his cuts. He watched as his skin mended, stopping the flow of blood, before repeating the spell on the rest of his body. After he finished, he said " _Tergeo_ ," to get rid of the blood that had already dried on his skin.

Once he had attended to his well-being, Jace took in his surroundings. With all the glass on the floor, he could see the tunnel walls again. Looking behind him, he saw a tunnel swallowed in darkness, but right in front of him was another one, this one lit with torches.

There was no other path, but he didn't mind. He knew which one he needed to take, and he welcomed the well-lit option.

" _Scourgify_ ," Jace said, pointing at the ground between him and his new path. The glass shards in front of him disappeared, clearing the ground for him to walk.

Without a second thought he charged on forward.

He was finally free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, I know, there was no malec in this :/ but I promise they will be in the next chapter! I just couldn't find anywhere for it to fit in this chapter. But you will see them soon!


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. Long time no see. So I had planned on completely finishing the story before updating, but I kept getting messages to update so heres the next chapter. It isn't beta-read cause I just wanted to get it out. Thanks to those who stuck around. I really plan on finishing the story this summer. Theres only 2-3 chapters left, so it shouldn't take too long.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy!

_Jean POV_

Jean headed down what felt like the millionth hall, and he was starting to think he'd be stuck in these tunnels for the rest of his life. He felt like he was going in circles — everything looked the same — but there was nowhere else for him to go. Whenever he tried to go back, he'd find the path blocked by tunnel wall, as if he came from a dead end. The walls seemed to be shifting all around him.

But the worst part was the silence. He hadn't encountered anything since he managed to escape that Acromantula. And maybe he should be grateful for that, but really, each passing second of nothing just made him more anxious and worried about what could be next.

"This is getting ridiculous," he groaned as he turned around yet another corner.

But when he looked down the next hall, he saw a wooden door at the end.

"Finally!" he exclaimed, picking up his pace. He rushed to the door, elated at the new change in events, pulled it open, —

And almost threw himself over the edge of a cliff.

Pebbles tumbled down into a lake that lay below, while Jean, terrified after almost dying, stumbled backwards and tried to catch his breath. He could just hear the _plop_ of the pebbles hitting water over his panicked thoughts.

"This is insane," he gasped, his heart pounding in his chest. He looked over the edge of the cliff and saw a steep drop of about one hundred meters, the bottom of which was filled with water. Around him were the walls of the cave he now found himself in. There was no other door, and his feet were planted on a ledge no bigger than an average city balcony.

_Dead end?_ he thought to himself. There seemed to be no other option. Thus, he sighed and turned around, ready for another hour of mindless walking.

When he turned around, he saw the door from which he came shut. _That's weird_ , he thought, _I could have sworn I left the door open_.

But just as he was considering that, the walls started to shift around the door, swallowing it. It looked like it was sinking, and Jean stared in horror, frozen as his only exit disappeared before his eyes.

"No…" he gasped, coming to his senses, he quickly rushed to the door — or what was left of it. "No no no no NO NO NO!"

He banged on the wall, where the door once stood, shouting "NO!" over and over. Slowly, he lost steam, reducing his shouts to whispers and his punches to weak hits until, ultimately, he gave up.

_Are you kidding me?_ he thought, resting his forehead on the wall, breathing hard. He groaned, turning around and sliding down the wall until he was sat on the floor. His hand stung from the scratches he had gotten from the wall.

_Now what?_ he pondered, frustrated, running his hands through his hair. But he already knew. There was nothing else for him to do.

He was stuck.

But maybe, if he hadn't been pounding the wall and shouting so much, he would have noticed another door appear on the other side of the cavern. Maybe he would have noticed it open and close, without a person coming through, before it too disappeared.

Maybe then, he wouldn't be so sure that he was stuck. Or that he was completely alone.

* * *

_Alec POV_

"Stop worrying, dear, I'm sure Jace is fine," Magnus said, putting a hand on Alec's leg, which, unnoticed by Alec, had been bouncing up and down until Magnus stilled it.

Alec looked at Magnus and was met with a look of concern and sympathy. He sighed. Magnus was right. Alec had not said a word since Jace went in the tunnels. He just watched the opening, waiting for someone to come out, while thinking of all the things that could go wrong. He had no idea what was in there and he couldn't focus on anything but the fact that countless of people had died in the tournament. But it did no good for him to worry. There was nothing he could do about it, and worrying over something you can't change wouldn't help the situation.

Besides, Jace was pretty skilled, and he did well in the last two tasks. If there was anyone who knew that Jace could handle himself, it was Alec. He watched Jace grow as a wizard throughout their years of friendship — he as seen what he can do. He was never one to back down from a challenge.

"I know," Alec told Magnus. "I just hate that I can't see what's happening. It's killing me!"

Magnus grabbed his hand. "It'll be okay. I know you're worried about him, but he'll be fine. He's more than capable of taking on whatever they throw at him."

Alec sighed and rested his head on Magnus's shoulder. He felt Magnus place a kiss on the top of his head.

"I just don't want to lose him."

* * *

_Jace POV_

" _Immobulus_ ," Jace cast off-handedly, for what felt like the hundredth time. He'd just about had it with these Cornish Pixies. Every five steps another one of them would come flying out of nowhere and try to grab him by the ears. It wasn't like he couldn't deal with them; it just got annoying, having them mess with him for a couple second before he got the upper hand and could hit them with a freezing charm. They were like flies buzzing around your head— not a real problem, but incredibly irritating.

His fingers were itching for an _actual_ challenge; he hadn't faced anything truly difficult since being trapped in the room of mirrors, and, to be honest, he was getting a bit bored. Couldn't the game makers come up with anything better? Some twist, something to make his blood rush and his adrenaline kick in? The best they could do was pixies? What was this, a pop quiz for second-years? Winning just seemed too easy at this point.

He was in the middle of swatting away another of those annoying creatures when he noticed the door at the end of the corridor. _It's about time_ , he thought, before casting off another freezing charm to get rid of the last of them.

He made his way towards the wooded entrance, but just as he was a few steps away, a swarm of the Cornish Pixies attacked him out of nowhere, surrounding his head and filling his ears with their high pitched giggles and squeals.

His ears started to sting from their tiny grabby nails and trying to lift him. He tried to cast a spell but he wasn't able to concentrate long enough to do so. Soon enough, he was caught in a tug-of-war battle with one of the pixies over his wand. It wasn't long before he gave up and just started swatting at them erratically.

His back was flat against the door at this point and, whilst fighting off the pixies with one hand, he used the other to search for the doorknob behind him. Once he found it, he acted quickly; he twisted the knob, made one last swatting motion, and opened the door. In a split second, he made his way in the room and shut the door behind him and took a moment to catch his breath.

Thankfully, none of the pixies made it into the room with him.

"'Ello, are you okay?" A vaguely familiar voice called.

Jace looked up and saw none other than Jean André.

"Yeah, I'm alright, I guess," Jace replied.

It was only then that he finally took in his surroundings. He and Jean were in some sort of cave, and both of them were stuck on cliff-side ledges, but on opposite sides of the room.

"Where are we?" Jace asked Jean.

"I do not know," he said simply, while Jace looked over the edge of the cliff. "I would not do zat if I was you," Jean called again. "Eet is a long fall."

But when Jace looked down he saw that it was just filled with water, not more than one meter below him.

"It doesn't look too bad to me," he told Jean.

Jean moved towards the edge in disbelief. "Zat is weird," he said, getting a good look. "When I got 'ere, ze water was about a 'undred meters away."

"Wait, have you just been sitting here?" Jace questioned, puzzled. When all he got was a shrug, he added, "well, if you're just gonna sit there, suit yourself. I have a tournament to win."

But to his horror, when he turned around, all he saw was cave wall. The door was gone.

"You zink I'm just sitting here for no reason?" Jean ask incredulously. "You zink I don't want to win? I am stuck here, just as you now are."

"There has to be a way out," Jace assured himself.

"You zink I haven't thought of zat myself?" said Jean, rolling his eyes. "Zere is no way out, trust me. Until you came 'ere, zere was no other door but ze one I came through. And, like your door, eet disappeared."

"Are you sure there isn't anything else?" Jace challenged. "Any other way? Come on, tell me you've thought of something!"

"Zere is nothing!" Jean responded, exasperated. "I 'ave been in 'ere for so long and I 'ave tried everything."

Jace sighed, giving up. He slid down the wall until he was sitting, mirroring jean across the room. "So that's it, huh. Are we just supposed to wait?"

"Maybe," Jean shrugged. "Maybe zis is something we 'ave to do together. All three of us."

"So, what, we wait for Viria to arrive?"

"I guess."

Silence.

"Jace?" asked Jean after a while.

"Yes?"

"Uh, I'm sorry about Camille and what she did to your friend."

Jace groaned. "Please don't bring her up," responded Jace, preferring not to breach the subject.

"I know eet is probably something you don't want to talk about, but please can you just let your friend know I'm sorry?"

"It wasn't your fault. There was nothing you could have done. It was all Camille."

Jace barely registered how hard he was squeezing his fist until he looked down and saw that his knuckles were white.

"I know. I still feel bad," Jean said, his voice fading to a whisper as he looked down at his lap. He was twiddling his fingers and his hair fell in his eyes.

"Okay," Jace resolved, taking pity on him. "I'll let Alec know."

Jean perked up at his response, and, seeming content, relaxed a bit.

Jace rested his head against the wall and looked up at the roof of the cave, trying to think of what to do next. Maybe Jean was right, and this challenge required all three of the champions to be there. But, if he was right, then who knew how long they'd be waiting there? Jace grew impatient easily and he wasn't exactly thrilled about his current position.

But maybe Jean was wrong. Maybe he could figure a way out by himself. Maybe that was the challenge and Jean was simply not capable to figure it out. Maybe—

Something wet seeped into Jace's shoes, and then a second later he felt it reach his finger tips.

_What the hell?_ Jace thought, bringing his focus back down. He found himself surrounded by a shallow level of water and, looking a ahead of him, he found that the water came from the center of the cave, where the cliff fall should have been.

Except now the whole cave floor was covered in water. And it was rising.

While Jean and Jace were both distracted in their own thoughts, neither of them noticed the rising water level. But now, as it reached their ankles, it became a pressing concern, and both of them scrambled to their feet.

"I knew zere was something weird about the water!" Jean cried. "When I got 'ere, eet was many, many meters away, but when you came, eet was closer. But I didn't zink anything of eet." He groaned, muttering, "stupide, stupide, stupide!"

The water seemed to be rising faster now. Quickly, it submerged Jace's calves. "What do we do now?" Jace yelled.

"I don't know!" Jean replied.

It was becoming painfully obvious that they were running out of options. There was no hole in the cave that the water could seep out of. They both knew that soon the whole place would be flooded.

And, eventually, they'd run out of air.

"There has to be some way to stop it," Jace pondered. "Help me look for something."

The two frantically search for anything that could be of use, but after finding nothing but more cave wall, the started to feel hopeless. And it didn't help that they felt ridiculous, just splashing around like crazy.

And the water wasn't stopping.

"This is hopeless!" Jace cried, frustratedly. He just didn't know what else there was for them to do. They had checked everywhere…

Except, perhaps… the hundred meter drop in the center.

"It's down there," Jace mumbled to himself.

"What?" asked Jean.

"It's down there, at the very bottom of this whole place," Jace explained, getting excited. "You said the water was a hundred meters away when you got here, right? Well, I bet you the answer to this whole task is down there."

"And 'ow are we supposed to get down zere?"

Jace hadn't thought of that, he had been too caught up in finally figuring out something. "I don't know," he admitted.

But he felt like there was something he knew, something Clary had told him about. He could see her, plain as day, when she told him, he red hair falling around her shoulders. She had been telling him about past Triwizard Tournaments, challenges the champions had to complete and the spells they used.

There was one, from about 20 years prior. They had to go deep into the Black Lake for an hour and save someone close to them. What was the one spell that two champions used?

"Ugh, what was it?" Jace cried. The water was up to their waists.

Jean just looked at him questioningly, his head cocked to the side.

"The spell they used? Do you know? The one that gives them their own personal bubble of oxygen around their mouth…" Jace trailed off, trying to remember. Clary had been insistent on him learning as many spells from past champions as he could and he knew that one was on the list. _But what was it?_

Jean wasn't being helpful, as usual, and Jace was becoming increasingly frustrated with himself. If only he could remember the it…

"Aha!" Jace cried, the name coming to mind. "It's the Bubble Head Charm!" Without waiting another second, Jace cast the charm, and suddenly he found a bubble surrounding his head.

Jean looked at him in shock, and when he didn't seem able to cast the charm himself, Jace remembered another spell, similar to the one he used, and he pointed his wand and yelled, "Ebublio!" and watched as Jean got his whole body trapped in a giant bubble.

Despite now having a secure solution, Jean didn't look too happy at his current situation. He seemed to have no control over the bubble, and Jace tried not to laugh as he watched Jean stumbled as the bubble rolled around.

"I don't zink I like sis very much," Jean groaned after falling again, finding himself laying against the bubble.

Jace chuckled. "Okay, well, I'm gonna go down there and see what I can find."

"What? Don't leave me 'ere!" Jean cried.

"What? Sorry I don't think I heard you. The bubble is muffling your voice," Jace replied with a smirk. At Jean's look of offended disbelief, he added, "Have fun up here, hamster boy. I'm off to save the day."

The last thing he heard before he dove under was Jean's cry of outrage, and Jace couldn't help but laugh.

He swam down into the abyss. Strangely, the lower he got, the brighter his surroundings became.

But that wasn't the strangest part of it.

He could have sworn Jean only mentioned the cliff and the water at the bottom. He certainly didn't mention the lively aquatic life he now found himself submerged in.

The walls had bright green seaweed and blue coral, and occasionally he saw a starfish there. Swimming all around him were bright glowing fish in every shade and shape and size. It all was so vibrant that Jace couldn't believe it was real. It was almost as if he had stepped into an animated kid's film, or into another world, even.

_Where did this all come from?_ Jace pondered, his eyes wide in amazement. He continued his way downward, heading towards the light source, and drinking in what was one of the most amazing sights he had ever seen. He even saw a mermaid here and there, and while he knew the mermaids of the Black Lake could be quite vicious, these seemed to be more tolerant of outsiders. Still, they may or may not have hissed at him as he passed them. Jace chose to believe they didn't.

Suddenly, all the fish dashed away, into hiding spots in the plants. Jace looked around in confusion as the scene around him dimmed, loosing all its previous life and cheerfulness.

He glanced downwards, and saw a growing black dot. It seemed to be getting closer to him, albeit slowly, but with the bright light behind it, Jace couldn't quite make out what it was. He made to swim closer when he felt something tug him back by his cloak.

Turning around, he saw that it had been Jean who pulled him back. He must have figured out the Bubble Head Jinx, deciding to follow Jace.

"What are you doing?" Jace asked him, a bit annoyed that Jean had pulled him back.

All Jean did was shake his head and proceed to drag Jace closer to the walls.

Finally Jace managed to shake him off, but just when he was about to ask exactly _what_ Jean's deal was, it suddenly got darker. Jace looked down, and he noticed that the black dot he saw had become much closer and much, much bigger and —

Jean pulled Jace flat against the wall just in time, fore just then the dark shape rushed by them.

It was only then, as the light filled the space once again, that Jace got a good look at the creature, but he wished that he hadn't.

Right above them, slowing down to a stop, was a giant squid. And while this should have been a comforting thought, since the only other giant squid anyone knew was the nice one in the Black Lake, Jace could immediately tell that this one was not going to be as friendly. He saw its glaring eyes, and its tentacles were lined with sharp teeth, as if the creature would tear apart its prey before even putting it in its mouth.

And what's worse, it seemed to be looking for the two champions particularly, the two intruders, as it frantically looked around, before retreating back downwards. But on that way own, it saw Jace and Jean staring at it with wide eyes.

Without a second though, Jace shot himself towards the creature, twisted his body so he headed forward with feet first, and struck its eyes with the soles of his feet, before bending his legs and springing upward from the giant squid, who was twisting frantically with shut eyes, as if it was trying to will away the pain.

_That should buy me some time_ , Jace thought, before crying out to Jean, "Get up here, Jean!"

Jace saw Jean nervously swim past the still distracted squid. When he got to Jace, he asked, "Now vhat do ve do."

"We have to find a way to take down the giant squid, or at least distract it long enough so we can get past it and find some way to get out of here," Jace explained.

"Got eet," Jean responded. "I zink I know vhat to do."

Turning back to the squid, Jean pointed his wand and shouted, " _Stupefy!_ "

The squid froze below them.

"This von't last for long. I'll go past eet and see if zeres a way out. You stay 'ere and distract eet when it regains movement. Buy me some time?" Jean requested.

"Sure thing," Jace replied. "Go. I got your back."

Without another word, Jean swim down, maneuvered around the giant squid, and Jace watched as he moved further and further away, getting smaller and smaller.

Unfortunately, Jace's moment of peace didn't last. Not long after Jean left, Jace saw the creature begin to twitch.

"Alright," Jace said. "Let's see what this thing can do."

Before Jace could make his first move, the giant squid dashed towards him, having gained back full control of its body.

"Arresto Momentum!" Jace cried, waving his wand. The squid suddenly slowed down, giving Jace time to move to the side. Everything the squid did now was in slow motion.

"This is too easy," Jace smirked.

But he spoke all too soon, for just then the squid wrapped an arm around him in the blink of an eye. The spell seemed to have worn off. It probably wasn't strong enough on such a big target. Luckily for Jace, he wasn't caught with a tentacle, in which case he would have probably been cut to pieces by the teeth at that moment, but still, Jace didn't think his current situation was any better.

The arm started pulling him closer to the mouth, lined with razor sharp teeth, and opening wider and wider.

_Nope_ , Jace thought, _definitely not better_. He struggled, trying to free his arms, but to no avail.

As he neared the opening, there was nothing he could do but scream.

* * *

Jean POV

Jean swam downwards as fast as he could. He didn't know how much time Jace had, but he knew it probably wasn't much.

The further down he got, the brighter his surrounding became. It was almost blinding, but he didn't let that slow him down. instead, he closed his eyes and kept one arm stretched out as he swam. Before he knew it he had reached a solid surface. He opened his eyes and —

All he saw was a glowing orb. There wasn't anything else down there. It was just a smooth surface.

_Well now what are we supposed to do?_ Jean wondered, at lost as to what other option they had. Why else would there be a giant squid? Surely it was guarding something? What was this challenge supposed to entail? What was the goal?

_Oh_. Realization dawned on Jean. _It's the squid. We have to defeat the squid._

Feeling elated from figuring something out, Jean quickly pushed off the ground and started swimming upwards as fast as he could. His burst of energy helped him swim faster and he could feel the adrenaline pulsing through him.

But when the squid came in sight, he knew something was wrong. There wasn't any fighting, and at first, he couldn't see Jace anywhere. But then he noticed Jace's blonde hair, attached to his struggling body, which was wrapped in one of the squid's arms.

And he was currently being pulled into the squid's mouth, a scream tearing from his mouth.

Jean knew he had to do something to save Jace. He rushed towards the squid, but before he could cast a spell, one of the squid's other arms reached out and caught him. He felt the suckers stick to him, and suddenly he was as hopeless as Jace. He felt paralyzed, and realized he didn't know what else to do. He was going to die. He was sure of it. Each second brought him closer and closer to his impending doom.

Suddenly there was a flash of light, and Jean felt the arm loosen around him. He quickly swam out, noticing that Jace was doing the same. The both swam quickly away from the giant squid.

Looking back once they were together, they saw that the creature was writhing in pain, it's eye squeezed shut.

"What happened?" Jace asked.

Jean looked frantically around for the source of the light but couldn't see anything. He looked back at Jace and shrugged, just as confused at the situation as Jace appeared to be.

"Well, whatever it was, it bought us some time," Jace resolved. "Did you see anything down there that could help?"

Jean shook his head. "No, but I zink zat ve 'ave to defeat ze squid. Eet is ze only zing ve can do."

"Alrighty then," said Jace, raising his wand. "Let's take this thing down." Without another word, he shot off towards the squid. Jean saw a flash of white light from Jace's wand and the creature flinched back again, still healing from the first hit it experienced.

And then Jean was off.

_"Confringo!"_ he shouted, striking the squid with a mini explosion. It retracted in pain, its eye still shut.

Jace and Jean continued to hit the squid with all the spells they could think of, but no matter what they did, nothing was working, and the squid was slowly gain strength. They were running out of options.

On an off chance, Jean shot a spell towards the eye of the squid. A flash a fear sparked in its eye, and a tentacle quickly shifted to block the course of the spell.

An idea popped in Jean's head.

"Hit eet's eye!" He screamed to Jace. "I zink zat ees his veak spot!"

After a few failed trials, Jean added, "I'll distract eet! Zen you can hit eet."

He casted a spell at the side of its head, drawing its attention to him. He could see Jace out of the corner of his eye trying to stay out of the squid's sight, but Jean knew he had to do something to give Jace a direct hit. So, in what might just be the craziest decision of his life, he swam speedily towards the squid… towards the mouth of the squid.

"Now!" he yelled to Jace.

Time slowed down. The squid's eye shifted its focus to follow Jean's path towards him, pulling his gaze far from Jace who was floating above and in front of him. A flash of red sped towards the squid's eye, just as Jean got closer and closer to the widening mouth, lined with its sharp teeth. Just before he was captured in the creature's jaws, he changed direction, and the mouth clamped shut.

Before the squid could try and get Jean again, however, the spell hit its eye and it suddenly froze up, like a statue, and plummeted to the floor, narrowly avoiding Jean.

And then, its body seemed to melt into the rocks, and the ground floor began to rise, just as the water in the room was sucked out. Jace and Jean swam as fast s they could to the surface, just before the ground reached them, and all the water from the room disappeared, leaving no evidence of a cliff's edge or rising water level. They were now in a simple cave room.

They both got rid of their bubble-heads and found themselves lying on the floor breathing heavily, relieved that it was over.

"Well," Jace gasped. "That was fun."

Jean chuckled, "zat ees one bay to put eet." The two fell silent. Then:

"Vat do you zink saved us? Ze zing vith ze light sat hit ze squid," Jean pondered.

Before Jace could answer, they both heard what sounded like the shifting of rocks. Sitting up, they noticed that the tunnels had come back — the two ways from which they came!.

Both rushed to their feet and turned to their respective sides.

Jace looked back at Jean. "Whatever it was, it doesn't matter now. We still have to finish this tournament."

"You're right," Jean settled, turning to got.

"Hey," Jace said, stopping him. "Good job. I couldn't have done that without you."

"Merci," Jean responded with a smile. You vere very good as vell. Good luck for ze rest of ze games."

"Good luck," Jace echoed. "May the best man win." He gave Jean a little wave, before turning and running back down his tunnel.

And, without sparing another second, Jean turned around and did the same. He had a newfound respect for Jace, and was glad they got to work together for once. But still, despite their teamwork, Jean wasn't about to let Jace have much of a lead on him. No, Jean wanted to win this thing…

* * *

But, both of them failed to notice that there was a third tunnel that opened up. And, while the two were saying their heartfelt goodbyes, a little specimen quickly dashed down its tunnel, unseen by the others in the room.

Someone else had a head start on victory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for waiting so long. I hope it was worth it. Next chapter should be up before the end of the month (and will have a new pov, and probably the winner of the tournament...)
> 
> Comments are always appreciated and encouraging :)


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So this chapter was originally gonna cover a bit more and it was gonna be published a few days later, but today is the 20th anniversary of when the first Harry Potter book was published in the UK, so I decided to publish it now.
> 
> The next chapter should come in the next few weeks and it will feature the end of the tournament and of course Malec. Thanks for sticking around :) Enjoy!

_Viria POV_

When she was sure she was far enough away, Viria transformed back into her human form, simply because she knew she could run faster with her human legs than she could as a… well, as a gerbil.

Viria was an Animagus. She had studied up on the practice when she was very young, and, with the push and help of her parents, both being Animagi themselves, she was able to master it at the young age of fourteen… exactly. She finally became an Animagus on her 14th birthday, much to her parents' pleasure. Thus, from that day forward, she was able to transform into a gerbil wish ease.

The only downside was, well, she didn't really feel a need to be a gerbil. All it did was draw her friend's attention, always asking her to transform or to teach them how to do the same. Sure, it was sometimes fun when her friends got her to play a few small pranks on other students whilst using her ability, but they always got more joy out of it than she did. It was nice to see their smiles, but everyone else always seemed more happy about the ability than she did. It made her parents proud (nothing else really did) and it entertained her friends, but honestly she didn't prefer the attention. She would rather be alone.

That was the one benefit about skill. She could transform into a gerbil and just hid in some corner of the school, where no one would bother her. She liked being able to get away. It seemed the one thing that could solve all her problems was also the cause of it.

And, of course, being an Animagus has certainly benefitted her in this tournament. Not that it was her choice to compete in the first place.

Her friends had of course pushed her to put her name in the cup. "You have to," they had told her. "It'll be an easy win for you, since non of the other kids are Animagi, and you'll make our school champions! Plus, that prize money won't hurt." After a lot of begging, she had agreed to come on the trip, if only to shut them up. But she had avoided putting her name in the cup, only to find out that her friends had put her name in for her. She was furious when she found out. And it came to no surprise to her friends that the goblet had chosen her. Thus, now she found herself racing through underground tunnels in the final task, with the most points and a substantial lead. And, of course, the obliviousness of her contestants. No one else outside of her family and friend group knew that she was an Animagus.

Technically, she was registered as an Animagus; her parents didn't want her to break any laws after all. However, they had registered her on the down-low and had failed to inform anyone in the school system about it. So yes, she was on the list, but no one had ever even expected that someone at such a young age would ever be able to become an Animagus, so no one thought to check. Thus, she now had an upper hand in the Triwizard Tournament.

But honestly, she couldn't wait until this whole thing was over. She wasn't lying when she told Magnus that she hated all the attention she got. In fact, everything about the tournament rubbed her the wrong way. All the media attention, the enormous crowds of people, the risking of student lives just for some petty competition between schools and some measly entertainment. It wasn't long ago that someone died it this tournament, and he wasn't even the first one. It all just seemed pointless and unnecessary to her and she wished her friends had never pushed her into coming.

She was surprised that no one else had figured her out. The other champions didn't even have any idea, even after what just happened! She could have sworn Jean would have seen her enter the cave or that Jace saw her strike the squid. She had been trying to hide for as long as possible, but eventually the water filled the whole cave so she had to transform back and use the bubble head charm. That was when she saw the two boys struggling with the squid. It had both of them trapped and was about to swallow them, so she knew she had to act. She hit it with a single spell, just enough to get it to free the two boys. When she saw they were about to win, she swam back to the top and waited for the water levels to go down again so she could transform again. When the tunnels opened back up, she wasted no time racing down her path.

_So that part of the challenge really did need all three contestants working together_ , she mused, reflecting on the fight and Jean's words.

But that didn't matter now. Once again, they were all on their own, and with each step, Viria got closer to the Triwizard Cup, and therefore closer the end of the whole tournament.

Soon, it would all be over. She wouldn't have to hide from another dementor, save her friend from a tree in a monster infested forest, attack a giant squid in a room flooded with water, or sneak past another sleeping dragon again.

She speeded on forward, feet pounding on the floor, her heartbeat loud in her head. She knew she should be tired, but she didn't care. She just wanted to get the whole thing over with as quickly as she could. She didn't even care if she won, she just wanted to reach the end as fast as she could.

Suddenly, she noticed that the path up a head seemed to become more… cramped. The ceiling was a bit lower, the was a bit tighter, with the floor on a slight incline. She slowed down as she approached the shrinking end of the tunnel, her red curls coming to rest around her face. She began to proceed cautiously, crouching further and further as she went. It got to a point where she couldn't even walk upright anymore, and by the looks of it, the path only got smaller and smaller until it was…

just big enough for a gerbil.

_Incredible_ , she mused. _The tunnels figured me out before anyone else at this school_. And without another though, she transformed back into a gerbil and dashed on ahead.

The walls closed around her until she was moving in a space no wider than a pipe. But, by the looks of it, the tunnel end was not to far, opening up to a different room that Viria couldn't make out due to the blinding light. Or, at least, relatively, the light seemed blinding. Nonetheless, she speeded on forward, ready for whatever lay ahead. She ran and ran until she burst out of the tunnel into…

a large square room of all white. The walls, ceiling, floor — practically everything was white. The only exception was the golden box that rested atop an all white table.

Viria transformed back to her human self and cautiously approached the table. The box had some strange carvings lined in a deep purple, but other than that, there was nothing special about it.

And it was unlocked.

Viria hesitated. Despite it's simple appearance, the box felt wrong. It felt eerie to her and it made her uncomfortable. She wasn't sure if she should open it. Maybe she should just head back and find an alternative path. The tunnels move and change all the time, surely there was another way to go.

She knew before she even finished turing around what she would find when she looked back at her entrance. And sure enough, just like every time before, the path she had come into the room from, the little mouse hole at the bottom of the wall, was gone.

She was left with only one option.

She had to open the box.

Cautiously, she approached it. It didn't move or change or make any noise. It just sat their, looking just as harmless as ever.

But it still felt inherently _wrong_. Yet, there was nothing else for her to do.

So she placed her hands on the box, ready to open it.

That's when the whispering started. One voice, but it sounded like many, speaking words both clear and incomprehensible, both loud and soft, in languages known and unknown. Viria shivered, chills running down her spine. She swallowed.

This was wrong. So unbelievably wrong. But it had to be done.

She opened the box.

The whispers turned into shrieking, a thousand demons screaming in her ears. She felt wind rush by her as a purple smoke escaped the box and wrapped around her. It was like being stuck at the center of her own personal tornado. The bland room she was in just a second ago became overrun with chaos and destruction.

It all got to be too much for her. The piercing screams, the blinding colors, the suffocating wind. She cover her ears and shut her eyes, begging — pleading — for everything to just stop.

"Please, please, _please_!" She gasped. The wind was getting faster, and she could feel the oxygen being sucked out of her area. She knew she wouldn't last long.

Suddenly, everything stopped. She gasped for air, her lungs elated at the return of oxygen. Her hair fell back around her head, the air now deadly still. She couldn't hear anything but the sound of her own breathing. She slowly opened her eyes and dropped her hands.

The room looked exactly the same. She could see the box in front of her, still on the table, open, and looking no different. She approached it, finding it empty once she looked inside. It seemed that all that chaos had just been for show.

But if that was just meant to give her a little jump, what was actually in the box? What was the actually challenged. Surely there was more to this —

"Viria," a familiar voice called from behind her.

She turned around, only to find that no one was there. The room was as empty and silent as always.

_What was that?_ she questioned. It has sounded so familiar, yet she couldn't quite place whose voice it was.

_Maybe I just imagined it_ , she tried to convince herself.

"Over here, Viria," the voice called again, in her native tongue, suddenly from a different place in the room.

She turned again, facing the center.

_What?_

_No. It can't be._

Right in front of her, next to the opened box, stood her mother.

"I've missed you so much, darling," her mom said, holding her arms out in the probable expectation of a hug. Her hair was up in a bun, as usual, with not a single strand out of place.

Viria never understood how she was able to manage her hair so well. Heaven knows Viria's hair never seemed to agree with her.

"What are you doing here, mom?" Viria asked, wary of the whole situation.

"Well that's no way to greet your mother," she replied. "Come, why don't you give me a hug? Come he—"

"What. Are. You. Doing. Here?" Viria asked again, teeth clenched. Seeing her couldn't be a good sign. It never really was.

Her mother sighed, arms dropping. "I came here for you, darling," she stepped forward. "I wanted to congratulate you on how well you were doing—"

"No. Stop," Viria insisted. "Why are you _really_ here."

_How did she even get in here? It doesn't make sense._ Viria couldn't reason it out.

"Why can't you believe me? I wanted to tell you how proud I am of you and—"

"—That's it! You're never proud of me! Only once have you been proud, and that's because you made me do something you and dad wanted! You'd only be proud if I actually won! You and dad didn't even show up in time to encourage me before the race and you expect me to believe that you—"

_SLAP_

Viria put her hand to her cheek, which now stung so much it brought tears to her eyes. She turned back to her mom, who was breathing heavily, her cheery, loving attitude replaced by a beet-red face, furrowed brows, and an impressive scowl.

"You ungrateful little girl!" she growled.

Viria stared back in shock. Her mom never hit her. _Never_. Of all the horrible things she's done in the past, the one thing she would never do was lay a finger on her. Viria was always scared of the one day her mom would snap and just do it, but she has never, ever hit her.

And she just did.

"M-mom?" she stuttered out, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

_Why did she hit me?_

"You're right, I'm not here to tell you how _proud_ I am of you," she snarled. "You've done _nothing_ to deserve my pride. Nothing! Everything you are, everything you have ever done or accomplished is because of your father and I. Because we gave you the push!"

"Stop, mom, please stop," Viria whimpered. More tears began to stream down her face. She curled into herself, as if she could shield herself from her mother's words.

"You would be nothing without us and you have the audacity to complain?"

"Please, stop!" Viria begged

"After all we've done for you? You're worthless and everyone knows it."

"No…" Viria gasped, closing her eyes.

"She's right, you know," a different—yet still familiar— voice added. It was rougher, but that's not how it usually sounded. Normally, it was much softer. A melodic voice, one as smooth as honey.

She looked up.

It was the voice of her father, who now stood before her where her mother had been not a second ago.

_What?_

"Dad…? Where did… How are you—" So many questions raced through her head.

"You really should listen to your mother."

"Huh…?"

Viria stared at her father, puzzled, her face still wet from the tears. Too much was happening, most of which made no sense at all.

She wiped her face with the sleeve of her robes.

"You are… my greatest disappointment," her father sighed.

"Dad… but…" Viria said, disbelief coloring her tone.

_This cannot be happening why is this happening?_ Her father had always been the more supportive one. Sure he pushed her just as hard as her mother, but at least when she looked in his eyes she wouldn't see the stern, cold, emptiness she saw in her mother's. At least sometimes he looked at her with sympathy.

The look her gave her now was the complete opposite.

"I had hoped you'd become you're own person. I had hoped you'd do something by yourself, for yourself, but you never did."

"Because you never let me do what _I_ wanted!" Viria fought back.

"Everything you are, we made you wouldn't be who you are without us. You would have never achieved what you have achieved without us. But those aren't really your achievements, are they?"

"You're wrong."

"No, I'm not!" he suddenly raised his voice. "Those are our achievements, because we were the ones who did all the hard work to achieve them. _You_ just reap the benefits of our sacrifices."

"That's not true! I never wanted any of this!"

Viria didn't know when she started crying again, but she just realized how fast the tears were pouring. Her vision blurred and the thumping of her heart was getting too loud to ignore.

"You're right," a third voice pitched in. "You're not only what your parents made you."

"Tyra?"

Sure enough, her best friend, the one she saved in the second task, stood in front of her, her father nowhere to be seen.

"Where's my dad? And what happened to my mom earlier? What's happeni—"

"Oh my god, will you shut up?" Tyra asked, clearly frustrated.

Viria was taken aback. Tyra never talked to her like that. She was her best friend, she was always there for her.

"You're so pathetic, you know?" Tyra told her. "'Where's my dad? And what happened to my mom earlier? What's happening,'" she mocked. "I can't take your whining all the time. It's all you do and you never shut up!"

"What are you talking about, Tyra, you're my best friend…" Viria pleaded. her eyes hadn't dried.

Tyra laughed. "Please, we're not 'best friends,' Viria. If we were, it'd be a very one-sided relationship, don't you think? What have you ever done for me?"

Viria couldn't believe her ears. "What do you mean…"

"To think, I helped push you to join this contest. To think all of us did. To think we went through the effort to put _your_ name in the goblet. And now here you are, _complaining_ about the whole thing. Crying out to know where your _parents_ are, the same parents you always complain about."

"Stop it, Tyra, please…"

"Honestly, you were just a fun experiment for me. That's all you were for all of us. We delighted in the fact that your parents made you an Animagus. I doubt any of us would have stuck around you for long if you weren't one."

Viria shook her head back and forth in disbelief. The tears were coming fast now, dropping off her jaw and onto the floor.

"No…" she gasped, closing her eyes.

"You're just the weird, loner kid who can't do anything for herself. You couldn't even enter this contest by yourself."

"Stop…"

Viria covered her ears with her hands.

"You only made it this far because of what your parents turned you into."

"Please," she begged. She curled into herself as suddenly all the voices surrounded her.

"You're pathetic."

"A disappointment," her father's voice.

"Ungrateful," her mother.

"Stupid."

"Weak."

"Worthless."

"Stop, stop stop," she cried to herself, rocking back and forth on the floor.

"We never really loved you."

"No one ever did."

"Stop, stop, STOP!" Viria cried, doing all she could to block them out.

Viria couldn't believe what was happening. It was like her worst fear brought to life.

"You are nothing."

_Wait_ , Viria thought to herself through the madness. _Fear_ …

Time seemed to slow down. All the insults being thrown at her faded into the background, replaced by white noise and the steady beat of her heart.

_This isn't real._

_It never was._

All the pieces were falling into place. Realization dawned on Viria.

Her parents and best friend weren't here. They had never found a way into the contest. All the things they were saying, they weren't true.

She wiped her eyes for the last time and looked up at the creature in front of her, who now took the form of her mother. She stood up shakily but determined, both fists clenched.

But one was now tightly grasping her wand.

The form of her mother glared at her, heaving heaving breaths.

But Viria now knew it wasn't her mother.

"Well?" the form of her mother asked, clearly surprised at Viria's change in demeanor.

Viria held her stare, no longer intimated.

"I'm not worthless. I'm not a disappointment. I'm not pathetic, or weak, or stupid. And you should know that."

She raised her wand, finding her strength.

" _Riddikulus!_ "

The boggart stepped back as suddenly her mother's outfit slipped away, replaced by a stage costume of a lion. It was a big fur suit, complete with tail and all, and her mother's face was covered in makeup, her hair out of it's perfect bun, frizzing around her face — the perfect fit for a mane.

The boggart, still with her mother's face, held the tail with both of it's hands in a fitting whimpering stance.

Viria knew enough about Muggle classics to understand what she was seeing.

_The Cowardly Lion._

Viria couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up in her chest and soon came tumbling out of her mouth. She had never seen her primp and stern mother in such an absurd state. She laughed so hard her sides hurt.

She bent over in laughter and almost missed how the boggart disappeared at once.

Almost.

Quickly, she rushed to the box, which still stood at the center of the room and shut it.

She breathed a sigh of relief. She was alone, again.

That was when another door appeared and opened itself for her. She smiled to herself, anticipation dousing through her veins. Without a look back, she took a running start down the new tunnel.

She had a tournament to win. And she wasn't going to just try and get it over with like she originally planned. And, no, she wasn't going to win it for her parents to make them proud. She wasn't going to win for her friends or for the school or for anyone.

She was going to win for herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments are always appreciated :)
> 
> I'll be back in a few weeks (or sooner).


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with another update! Hope you enjoy!

_Jace POV_

_How much longer will this go on?_  Jace wondered. He had given up running due to exhaustion and was walking at a brisk pace.

It had been a long day. After escaping the flooding room, Jace had to get past a sleeping dragon—a dragon that was a  _very_  light sleeper—figure out a riddle about keys and doors, fight himself (now that had been a strange challenge), and mount a broom to catch a snitch (which, needless to say, was the easiest part of the whole tournament for Jace). He ran through what had to be miles and miles of tunnels, practically faced on all four elements, and used a good majority of all the spells he knew. He really needed a break.

However, in all that time, he hadn't seen a single other competitor. On one hand, that could mean that he was ahead of them all, meaning there was a good chance he could win. On the other hand, the others could be far ahead of him. One of them could already have the cup. He didn't know what was to happen to the other competitors once one won, if they would all immediately get sent back to the school, or if the tunnels would shift so that they were led back, or if he would still have to find where the cup originally was, only to find the cup gone and a way back. So, really, he could be running for no reason. He had no way to tell. Still, he held on to the hope that he would win.

He was just nearing a turn when he heard it.

" _Expelliarmus!_ "

Without a second thought, Jace sprinted ahead, wand at ready, turning the corner, prepared for whatever was next.

Around the corner, the tunnel widened to a clearing. Towards the center, the cave ceiling reached an end, opening up to the sky above, which was painted in pinks, purples, and oranges of the fading sunset.

Jace's feet touched grass as he slowed down and registered the scene in front of him. He stood at the edge of a garden, filled with flowers and plants of every color and species, and at the center an elegant glass fountain rose from the ground, golden water spilling on all sides.

But that's not what caught his attention.

On one side, wand raised, a victorious grin on her face, was Viria. But she didn't have just one wand. In her other hand, she held Jean's wand, whose owner stood on the other end of the clearing, empty handed and shock clear in every part of his face. His eyes darted between her and the fountain at the center of the garden. He looked ready to make a run to it.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Viria said warningly, pointing her wand at him.

They were so focused on each other that neither of them noticed Jace, who took the time to see what Jean was looking at.

"I'm sorry Jean, but only one of us can win," Viria told Jean, but Jace barely registered her words. Something else had his attention.

Right there at the center, floating above the fountain, was the Triwizard Cup, glowing an eerie blue, its silver handles reflecting the light. Jace couldn't believe it. He was so captured by it, the way a moth is entranced by a lamp light, he remained frozen in place, starring up at it.

_It's so close._

" _Petrificus Totalus!_ " Viria casted, jarring Jace's focus. But it wasn't he who was the target of the spell. Jace turned his head just in time to see Jean's body freeze up, his arms sticking to his sides, legs glued together, and he watched as the Beauxbaton champion fell to the ground.

"And now, to victory," Viria said to herself, heading forward.

_I don't think so,_  Jace thought. Quickly, he took out his wand, casting, "Stupefy!"

He missed Viria by a hair, just in front of her, but it was enough to get her attention. She jumped back and turned to him, a fire in her piercing blue eyes.

Her face broke into the same grin she gave Jean, and that was the only warning Jace had. He darted back to his tunnel just as a disarming spell shot his way, missing him by a fraction of a second.

Not wanting to give her a chance to run to the cup, Jace speedily recovered, using the same disarming charm back on her, forcing he to retreat.

Before long, both had their backs to their respective tunnel walls, sending quick spells anytime they looked and saw the other moving.

No one was making progress. Neither could get a direct shot at one another, and neither had a window of opportunity to make a dash for the cup. The air filled with poorly aimed spells, and parts of the garden were considerably destroyed.

Both had attempted using Accio on the cup, but there must have been protections on it that prevented it because, alas, both were still empty handed.

Jace just took cover again when he saw where Viria's last spell hit. The tunnel wall gained a crack from the blast.

It was then the idea came.

Not wasting another second, Jace took a few steps out and turned to Viria's tunnel but he didn't point his wand where Viria was most likely hiding. He aimed to the cave ceiling above her.

"Confringo!"

Viria had moved towards the center of her tunnel just when the explosion hit. She looked above her, where the rock ceiling was cracking rapidly. The ceiling started crumbling, a few pebbles raining down, and Jace saw Viria back up, staring at what doomed her chances of victory.

Jace, about to make a dash for the cup, smiled. His plan was working… But the look in Viria's eyes said otherwise.

Time slowed.

As the rocks fell, Viria ran towards the solid rain instead of away. Her entrance to the clearing was quickly closing but that didn't defer her course. At the last second, she jumped, and Jace watched, frozen in surprise, as she changed form right before his eyes, getting smaller and smaller, fur growing all on her body, until, as a small gerbil, she made it through a small gap in the piling rubble.

Not two seconds later, she transformed back, just in time to hit the ground running, not looking back.

The truth dawned on Jace, who still was too shocked to move. After all, it's not every day you see someone turn into a rodent.

_She's an Animagus,_ he thought, all the pieces falling into place in his mind _._ It all made sense. That's how she finished all the tasks so fast without anyone seeing her. That's how she got past the dementors, how she must have free'd Trya. And the flooded room… it did require all three contestants! It was Viria who caused the flash of light, the one who cast the spell that saved Jean and him.

The sight of Viria halfway to the cup brought Jace back from the shock. He ran, only having enough time to yell "No!" and a final stunning spell before she repeated the same trick, shrinking to avoid the spell, and transforming back—

Just in time for her hand to land on the cup.

Jace watched as Viria looked back at him, a smile splitting wide on her face, throwing him a mischievous wink as she and the cup disappeared.

* * *

 

Magnus POV

It happened so suddenly, without any warning. Anyone not looking probably regretted glancing away. But Magnus was one of the lucky few who saw, as he happened to be looking in the right direction.

There on the ground below, about 50 feet from the entrances of all the tunnels, appeared Viria, stumbling on her landing, but managing to stay upright. And clasped tightly in her hand was the Triwizard Cup.

The winner had arrived.

A loud burst of cheers exploded from the Durmstrang students who saw her first, getting the attention of everyone in the stands. It wasn't long until everyone joined in a polite applause, whilst all of Durmstrang found their way to their feet, screaming so loud Magnus predicted they'd all lose their voices.

Speaking of, Magnus, who had taken a liking to the red-head after their talk on Christmas, was one of the few from Hogwarts who found themselves standing as well, a smile on his face. Even though Hogwarts didn't win, he couldn't help but feel happy for her.

Magnus watched as Viria was soon surrounded by her closest friends. A pair of adults, a woman with hair like Viria's who was holding the arm of a man, that Magnus guessed were her parents stood a few feet away from them. Viria looked up and spotted them, her smile faltering. Her friends backed up, giving her room to approach her parents, but Viria didn't move, her fists clenched.

Magnus realized that this was the first time he saw them. They hadn't showed up to congratulate Viria like the other champions' families had.

A few unheard words passed between them. Then, hesitantly, Viria made her way forward and wrapped her arms around her father. Breaking away, she gave a polite nod to her mother, before returning to her friends and the rest of her peers, ready to welcome their champion.

Magnus had been so focused on the little family reunion, he hadn't noticed the surge in applause from the Hogwarts students until Alec gently shook him. Turning, Magnus saw Jace a few feet in front of his tunnel, slightly out of breath, looking in Viria's direction. But he didn't look disappointed or upset. Instead he had an amused smile and a look of profound respect, one Magnus had learned he rarely gave anyone.

A few seconds later, Jean arrived, and the Beauxbaton students joined the rest of the audience on their feet. Although they didn't win, both losing school were proud of their champions, and glad to see they made it back alive. It wasn't so long ago that they had lost someone to these games.

Alec, who has been tense all day, wrecked with worry, was bouncing on his feet and Magnus laughed to himself. He could tell he probably wanted to rush to Jace but didn't want to leave Magnus alone in the stands.

"Go to him," Magnus told him. "Go on."

Alec looked at him gratefully before placing a quick kiss on Magnus's cheek and bounding down the steps as fast as his feet could take him. He smiled to himself as he saw Alec wrap Jace in a hug, followed quickly by a searching look for any injuries, which Jace laughed and brushed off. They were joined by Clary and Izzy who took turns hugging Jace, the former of which adding a kiss on his lips. By the wide smiles on their faces, you wouldn't have guessed Hogwarts lost.

Looking around himself, Magnus saw that everyone had similar looks of glee. Durmstrang had gotten Viria on their shoulders and were parading her around the grounds laughing. Hogwarts and Beauxbaton kids watched them and grinned, their happiness so incredibly infectious. Magnus cheered them on. A giddy Tessa grabbed onto his arm and Magnus looked at her, finding his joy reflected in her face. The two hugged, laughing like idiots. Looking up, Magnus saw Raphael, and even he had a slight upturn up his lips. He walked over to him and crushed him in a hug, one Raphael struggled to get out of, before giving up with a look of defeat and a light laugh in his throat.

Magnus felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around, only to be pulled by the front of his robes by Alec into a searing kiss. Magnus tugged him closer, reciprocating with equal intensity. When the two broke away, Magnus rested his forehead on Alec's, who still had his face split in a wide smile.

"You're awfully happy for someone who's best friend lost," Magnus joked.

"That doesn't matter," Alec told him quite simply, honest. Magnus found him agreeing rather easily. Even though Hogwarts didn't win, he felt like the happiest man alive.

Disappointment would come later, but tonight was a night of celebration.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope to have this story done by the end of summer. There's only one or two more chapters! As always comments are appreciated :)


	32. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! The final chapter!

_Alec POV_

"I can't believe it's over."

Alec, Magnus, Tessa Izzy, Simon, Clary, and Jace were all squeezed into a passenger cabin on the Hogwarts Express. Said train had just begun its departure from the wizarding school Alec had spent the better part of seven years living and learning in. The castle slowly drifted from view, and for the first time, Alec had no idea when he would see it again.

"I know," Alec replied to Magnus's comment. They and Tessa were the only of the group not returning next fall. "For the longest time, I've looked forward to this moment, but now…"

"It's okay Alec, you can admit it. We know you'll miss us," Izzy smirked.

"How will you go on without seeing this beautiful face everyday?" Jace added.

Alec laughed, reaching over to ruffle his hair, much to his dismay (He would have done the same to Izzy, but she shot him a quick death glare and he decided it would be best not to).

"All jokes aside," Alec started, looking at everyone in the cabin. "I will miss you. All of you…"

The cabin filled will over exaggerated 'aw's'.

"…Even Fray over here, annoying as she can be," he teased.

"Oh shut up, Lightwood," Clary shot back, but her smile remained.

As did Alec's.

Everyone fell into conversations, chatter about summer plans and recent gossip filling the air, as Alec looked out at the passing scenery, Magnus's hand intertwined with his.

The last few weeks had passed in a blur of testing, celebrations, packing, and goodbyes. They had all said their farewells to the students from the two other schools, newly made friends exchanging addresses and promises to keep in touch. The Great Hall felt empty after they departed, despite the fact that, technically, it was back to normal occupation levels.

On the last day, Alec had strolled through the halls and across the grounds, trying to savor each last moment.

It's funny, really. He started the year practically counting down the days till he would finally leave. Now he felt sad to say goodbye.

"Hey, you okay?" Magnus whispered, giving Alec's hand a squeeze.

"Yeah," Alec said simply with a soft smile. "So, what are your plans? What do you plan to do now that we're done?"

"I think I'll travel. For the longest time all I've wanted was to see the world. Then… maybe settle in New York. Brooklyn's always held a certain appeal to me," he explained. "Oh, and I'm gonna get a cat."

"A cat?"

"Yeah. I've been thinking up some good cat names."

"Have you now?" Alec chuckled.

"What do you think of Chairman Meow?"

Alec couldn't believe his ears. "You can't be serious."

"Alexander!" Magnus gasped, putting his hand over his heart in mock offense. "Are you insulting my cat-naming abilities?"

"Oh, of course not," Alec insisted. "But that is an…  _interesting_  choice."

"I think it's fitting."

"You haven't even picked a cat yet. How can you know if the name is fitting for it?"

"I just do. I feel it."

Alec rolled his eyes, earning a playful shove from Magnus.

"Just admit it. You love it. You think it's genius," Magnus teased.

Alec looked at him, suddenly overwhelmed with emotions. He leaned forward and placed a kiss on Magnus's cheek. "I love you and everything about you. And that includes your stupid cat names."

Magnus gave him a soft smile before leaning in to place a caste kiss on Alec's lips. At least, Alec was sure that's what he intended it to be, but it quickly turned into something deeper and more passionate.

"Hey lovebirds, keep it PG for the kids in the room."

Alec was so lost in the feeling of Magnus's mouth on his that he almost didn't notice Jace's interjection. Be it as it was, he did. Pulling away, face flushed, he looked over at Jace, who currently had his hand firmly placed over Simon's eyes.

Magnus just laughed. "Okay, okay, we'll behave. You can give Sherwin his eyesight back."

Magnus turned his focus to Tessa, who sat across from them, reading one of her favorite books. "So, Tessa, what are your plans?"

She put her book down. "I want to learn more about wizards all over the world. We're actually planning to head to China first sometime soon."

"And who is this 'we' you're talking about?" Magnus quizzed, cocking one eyebrow. "You got someone special you've been keeping from us?"

"How do you know I'm not just going with family?" She threw back, but the slight pink in her cheeks gave her away.

"Oh, now I know there's someone!" exclaimed Magnus victoriously.

Tessa flushed deeper. "Maybe…" she responded with a fond smile. Upon noticing their questioning looks, she added, "You'll see him at the Platform."

Then, clearly wanting the matter to be closed, she opened her book again and resumed reading.

Alec turned back to Magnus, only to find he was already looking at him. "What?"

"And what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Where's the great Alexander Lightwood heading next?"

Alec sighed. He knew the question would come up at some point. Heck, it was the only thing every adult and most of his peers focused on.

But the thing was, he didn't really know exactly what he wanted to do. He had been so focused on just getting out of Hogwarts, he hadn't thought about what he'd do next.

"To be honest, I don't really know," Alec admitted. "I have good enough O.W.L.'s and N.E.W.T.'s to keep my options open, I just haven't settled on anything." He looked out the window, thinking. "Maybe I'll teach. I'm good with kids and I'm used to helping Jace and Izzy with their homework."

"'Professor Lightwood,'" Magnus mused, a smirk teasing his lips. "I can see it."

"Oh shut up," Alec groaned. "I'm not sure I want to know where your mind is going with that one."

"I'll have you know my thoughts are only pure when they come to you," Magnus insisted.

Alec gave hime a look of disbelief, which only made Magnus laugh in amusement.

"Or think, maybe you'll work your way up to Headmaster," Magnus added.

"That seems unlikely."

"Hey," Magnus said, grabbing Alec's chin. "There is no one more qualified for the job. And I'm not just saying that because I'm your boyfriend. I mean it."

Alec smiled and gave him a quick peck on the lips, butterflies fluttering in his stomach. He was surprised how after all this time Magnus still managed to make hime feel like this.

"Besides," Magnus began. "You should know that while you don't have your mind made up, you can always join me on my travels."

Alec started. "Are you serious?" His heart started racing.

"Of course. And you could join me in New York. We could get an apartment together," he suggested. Then, looking more shy and unsure, "That is, of course, if you want." He sounded as if he was worried Alec would say no.

Alec kissed his fears away. "I'd love that. After all, who's gonna help you take care of your future cat?"

" _Our_  future cat," Magnus corrected. "Named Chairman Meow."

* * *

The rest of the train ride flew by and before they knew it, they were at Platform 9¾.

"Well, this is it," Alec said to their group once they were off the train.

Everyone turned to each other to say their final farewells.

"Look after Jace for me, Fray," Alec told Clary. "Make sure he doesn't get in any trouble."

"When have I ever?" Jace asked him, wrapping him up in a hug. "Stay in touch, promise me that. You're my best friend."

"You can count on me," Alec swore. As they and Simon walked away, Alec turned to Tessa. "I wish we spent more time together throughout the years."

"Hey, now we have all the time in the world to meet again," she replied with a smile, hugging him.

"So… where's that fellow you were telling us about?" Magnus teased.

"Oh he's here…" she hinted, before quickly changing the subject. "I'm gonna miss you two. I'll write you from my trips. You better do the same."

After a final hug with the couple, she ran off through the crowd to a smiling young man who who had black hair with a single white streak in his hair, surprising for his age. As they watched, he wrapped her in his arms, lifted her, and spun her around, both in the pair laughing in joy.

"Jem Carstairs," Magnus said in recognition.

"You know him?" Alec asked in surprise.

"Of course! Don't you remember? He was an exchange student in our 5th year. Quite a shock when he arrived—we don't usually get exchange students—and an even bigger shock when he left," Magnus explained.

"Huh…" Alec replied. It sounded familiar, but then again, he wasn't really paying attention to much of the rest of the students back then.

"That's probably when he became acquainted with our lovely Tessa," Magnus mused. "Well, they certainly do look cute together. But we're cuter."

"Oh shut up, you," Alec laughed. Alec looked up at him. "Were you serious about me joining you on your trips?"

"Of course. We'll take on the world, you and I. I'll send you an owl about our escape," Magnus smirked.

"Escape?"

"Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? Two lovers on the run."

"We're not on the run."

"Shhh, it makes it more adventurous," Magnus decided.

"Whatever you say," Alec said. He kissed him one last time. "I'll see you soon."

He didn't exactly say "goodbye," because it didn't feel like one. He knew they'd be together again before he knew it.

Alec turned and made his way over to where Izzy stood waiting for him. Together, they headed to the rest of their family, excited to see their little brother again, but Alec wasn't thinking of that. Instead, he remembered all the craziness of the past year, and all the joy it had brought him.

He certainly made his last year count.

_**The End.** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it! Finally reached the end! Thank you all for reading all the way through. Thank you for those who stuck with me and this story over the years and my hiatus.
> 
> Before you ask, no there will not a be a sequel, nor any other type of addition to the story.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed!


End file.
